Manchester synagogue attacker says he pledged alliegence to ISIS

The man who carried out a deadly attack outside a synagogue in Manchester, northern England, had pledged his allegiance to ISIS while carrying it out, police said on Wednesday (local time), CNN reported.

During the initial stages of the attack outside Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue last Thursday, the assailant phoned the police “claiming to pledge allegiance to the so-called Islamic State,” a spokesperson for Counter Terrorism Policing North West said in a statement.

Jihad Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, was named by police last week as the suspected attacker. He was shot dead by firearms officers at the scene, CNN reported.

The attack took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism.

Two men were killed during the attack, Greater Manchester P