Synagogue attack survivors 'should not be excluded'

A coroner has been urged to let survivors of the Manchester synagogue attack play a part in the inquest of two men who were killed.

Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby died when Jihad Al-Shamie attacked the Heaton Park synagogue in October last year.

Andrew Franks was stabbed by Al-Shamie in the incident on 2 October 2025 and Yoni Finley was injured by a police bullet meant for Al-Shamie.

Their lawyers argued that the inquest into the two men's deaths should allow them to ask questions and have evidence disclosed to them as "interested persons", in the same way the families of the men who died would.

The lawyer for the inquest, Ed Pleeth, said designating survivors as interested persons "would be novel".

But he added that that "does not in itself weigh against it".

Chris Daw KC said Franks and his father Ellis had "suffered extraordinary tragedies themselves" and that the law had "taken a wrong turn" by "excluding survivors" from the hearings.

He said Andrew Franks had "suffered the most extraordinary injuries in order to protect those in his community" meaning he and his father "should not be treated, for want of a better phrase, as mere witnesses".

He said they "want a full and fearless investigation of intelligence sharing between the security services, counter terror policing, the local police in Manchester and [Jewish security volunteer organisation] the Community Security Trust".

The inquest should also investigate "the role of antisemitic propaganda" and "whether local police planning, intelligence and resourcing" was adequate, as well as the adequacy of the emergency response, Daw said.

Anthony Metzer KC said Mr Finlay wanted to "fully understand and comprehend the difficult position in relation to police operating in those circumstances".

"He's not simply and importantly a survivor of this terrorist atrocity, but also in a very special category", he added.

The Chief Coroner of England and Wales, Alexia Durran, confirmed the Cravitz and Daulby families would be designated as "interested persons" at the full inquest.

She also confirmed a number of emergency services and public agencies would be designated as interested persons, but adjourned a decision over whether to give survivors the same status.

Inquest counsel Pleeth said the inquest would focus on Al-Shamie's background, as well as what the state knew about him before the attack.

It would also look at security at the synagogue, the role of the state in assessing the risks to the Jewish community in Greater Manchester, and the response to the attack.

Sam Leek KC, representing Greater Manchester Police (GMP), said the force's chief constable "wanted it to be known" that "issues of radicalisation and preventability" were "of grave concern to him and GMP".

"Since 2023 antisemitic hate crime has surged, protests have intensified and online abuse has grown."

"These trends create real fear and disrupt daily life and have an impact on how safe the Jewish community feels when attending synagogue," she said.

The coroner said the scope or the inquest would be "kept under review".

Mohammed Bashir, an alleged associate of Al-Shamie, is due to face a four week trial at Manchester Crown Court in July.

A separate inquest into the death of Al-Shamie was also adjourned in September.

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