Just metres from the police tape that marks the scene of a horrific and shocking terrorist attack on Manchester’s Jewish community, neighbours came together to remember the lives of two innocent men.
Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, died after Jihad Al-Shamie launched a frenzied car and knife attack on worshippers at the Heaton Park Shul on Thursday morning. Three others were left in a serious condition in what police and government leaders have since condemned as a “vile” terrorist attack.
As national figureheads flocked to Manchester to pay tribute on Friday, several of the victims’ neighbours told The Independent they woke up to the news that their friend would not be coming home.
Waqas Hussain, 32, and Haleema Younas, 34, live just a few doors down from Cravitz. They said they found out he had died after seeing his picture on the news on Friday morning, and described him as a “model neighbour” and a “lovely person”.
“I saw the picture, and because it’s quite an old picture, I did a double-take,” Mr Hussain said. “Honestly, he was such a lovely person, always going out of his way to help his neighbours out. He wasn’t one of those who would keep himself to himself. If he saw a new family had moved into the area, he’d be the first to go over.
“He was definitely a big bonding factor in the community. You’d see him in the morning, in his vest sometimes, putting the neighbours’ bins out. It’s so sad. It’s devastating. It’s definitely a loss to the community. He was a model neighbour.”
Ms Younas added: “I was just thinking, it can’t be him. I couldn’t believe it. It’s horrific whoever it would’ve been, but when you know them and it’s on your road, it’s like, is anybody safe?
“It’s horrendous, we saw it yesterday, but this just makes it so much more personal. He was the dream person to move next door.”
The couple remembered how the city had come together in 2017 following the Manchester Arena bomb attack, which killed 22 and injured hundreds more. They said that despite the “hatred” that was seeded on Thursday, they believed the city would “come together”.
“It’s not the first time hatred has been seeded in Manchester and one thing that we have here as a community is that Manchester always comes together,” Mr Hussain said. “That gives you some warmth. They won’t divide us.
“I think moving forward, that’s the real message that needs to be pushed.”
Police have confirmed the second victim, Adrian Daulby, tragically died after he was shot by officers in an attempt to bring down the killer. On a quiet cul-de-sac near the Shul, Daulby’s neighbours were moved to tears over the death of a man they said was “like family”.
“I’ve known him since I moved here in 2005,” Abdul Rahimi said. “He was like family. It is a real shock, especially to my children, because he was friends with them.
“He did a lot on the road, too much. He was always helpful. Always on Eid or Christmas, he would bring a gift.”
He said he had first learned of Daulby’s death after seeing his name on the news this morning.
“We thought it could not be possible,” he said. “Actually, we were looking for him yesterday. We didn’t know where he was. My wife called me and said Adrian is missing. Another neighbour called his phone so many times and it just rang through.”
“He always used to bring us Christmas gifts,” Mr Rahimi’s 16-year-old daughter Mariam said. “We would play with water guns together in the summer. Even during Christmas, if my sisters knocked on the door, he would give them toys.”
Daulby’s family have since paid tribute to the “down-to-earth man whose final act was to save others”.
As the heavens opened in Manchester on Friday afternoon, hundreds, including ministers and city leaders, braved the rain to come and show their respects. But while some messages of unity were met by sincere applause, mourners were unafraid to show anger over an attack they said they “saw coming”.
David Lammy, the deputy prime minister, was greeted with boos and shouts of “shame on you” and “stop the marches” as he spoke.
There, a mother and daughter who did not want to be named told The Independent they didn’t feel safe in Britain any more.
“We didn’t feel safe beforehand,” the mother said. “My brother was actually in the synagogue at that time holding the door, so it’s very close to home.”
She said she hoped people in the government would now listen to the fears of her community, adding: “It just seems so unfair. All we want is to live and let live. To not feel safe in your own country is a horrible thing.”
Her daughter said she was “shocked but not surprised” by the incident. “We have been waiting for this to happen for the last two years and there have been signs.
“It feels like antisemitism is a lesser form of racism, so it isn’t taken seriously. It seems like for us, there is never outrage.”
But the pair said they did not blame the police for the death of Daulby.
“They had to react,” the mother said. “From what I gather, they shot him, he was down, he made to get up, and they shot him again.
“My brother was on the left-hand side and the one on the right-hand side got shot. It’s a horrible, freaky accident.”
