The father of Manchester synagogue terrorist Jihad al-Shamie has stressed that their family’s “hearts and thoughts are with the victims” and expressed their shock at the terror act. And the father, a warzone trauma surgeon, seems to have gifted his murderous son all the opportunities to make a wonderful life for himself in the UK.
Jihad grew up with his two brothers Jawad and Kenan in North Manchester – after a childhood in Syria under the oppressing rule of now ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad. Their father Faraj Al-Shamie is a respected trauma doctor who has worked for several NGOs in warzones across the world.
Charming YouTube videos on the dad’s personal channel and seen by the Express show well-loved and adored children in bright dungarees playing in their back garden in Prestwich – one of the UK’s biggest Jewish communities.
One video shows the young boys blowing kisses to their dad as he holds a video camera, with the doting dad laughing and joking with his boys.
The Express understands killer Jihad al-Shamie was granted a British passport in 2006 aged 16, but YouTube videos dating back to 1998 – when the terrorist was just eight years old – was already in the UK.
One video entitled ‘Trafford’ show Jihad with his two brothers with their grandfather visiting shops in the area of Manchester near United’s iconic Old Trafford stadium.
The boys visit a toy shop in the Trafford Centre shopping mall where they play games and giggle when shown the three cups magic trick, with their elderly grandad watching on wearing a traditional shemagh Arabic head dress with scarf bandana across his forehead.
The family then visit the Trafford Centre’s food hall, marvelling at all the different restaurants on offer.
Later Jihad and his brothers sit outside and tuck into ice creams, while wearing baseball caps on backwards.
Another video, also filmed in 1998, shows Jihad as a youngster enjoying a day out at the now-closed King Arthur-themed fun park Camelot, in Charnock Richard, Lancashire – laughing at a pretend giant dragon in a cage at the site.
While a home video from 2008 – on a family trip back to Syria – 18 year-old Jihad is seen meeting relatives back in the Middle-East and visiting family graves.
On that trip they visit the now largely-destroyed archaeological site at Palmyra, in central Syria, that was captured by ISIS in 2015 and heavily damaged.
Jihad is seen watching the sunset in his homeland among the ruins, while playing with his brothers and posing for their dad in shorts and t-shirts.
In recent months Jihad has been bulking himself up his body and getting fit by working out with weights – as though the seeds of a twisted terror attack had now been planted.
On Thursday night armed cops raided Langley Crescent, in the heavily Jewish north Manchester suburb of Prestwich where Al-Shamie lived with another Syrian relative – just two miles from the Heaton Park synagogue.
And there neighbour Simon Barlass, 56, says he recently saw Jihad toning himself up for action in his garden by doing muscling-boosting bench presses.
While another neighbour said Jihad had lived at that address since around 2021, and also recalled his obsession with weights.
She said: “We used to see him out in the garden working out, doing weights, press-ups.
“He used to change his clothes. One day he would be wearing the full gown, to the floor and the next jeans and pyjama bottoms.”
In 2006, suspected Islamic extremists were monitored by anti-terror cops exercising in English and Welsh national parks on ‘PT Boot Camps’, to physically hone themselves ahead of possible attacks.
But today officials have stressed that Jihad was not on the terror watchlist, or known to the Government’s deradicalization programme, Prevent.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said on Friday: “This individual was not known to the security services. He has obviously been shot dead at the scene but the police investigations will now continue at pace.”
Ms Mahmood was asked about the attacker’s name, which LBC presenter Nick Ferrari translated as “struggle of the Syrian”.
She said: “I was very surprised to discover that name myself.
“Actually, as a Muslim, I’ve never heard someone being called Jihad, but it is the name that he was born with – that has always been his name.”
Last year Jihad, who worked as a English and IT tutor, became a dad last year – a fact celebrated online by his proud father Faraj.
In recent years Faraj has been a heavy critic of al-Assad and a vocal supporter of the Syrian Free Army and new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.
In August, Faraj also penned wrote a stinging post against Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu branding him an “idiot” taking the “time to deceive his followers.”
Faraj also angrily ranted on social media posts against Netanyahu and his followers, slamming them as “tyrants and criminals”.
His photos posted online while working to save lives in Syrian war zones, among other places, show a mad shattered and horrified by senseless slaughter.
And today – with that slaughter now carried out by his own flash and blood – he has distanced himself from his son’s horrific actions.
He wrote on Facebook today: “The news from Manchester regarding the terrorist attack targeting a Jewish synagogue has been a profound shock to us.
“The Al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians.
“We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort.
“We kindly request that all media outlets respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time and refrain from using this tragic event in any context that does not reflect the truth.
“May God have mercy on the innocent victims, and we pray for the swift recovery of the injured.”