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Two victims losing their lives in an attack on a synagogue in Manchester have been identified by police as Adrian Daulby, aged 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66.

Three additional individuals remain in hospital with critical wounds after Jihad Al-Shamie rammed a car into individuals before stabbing others on Thursday.

The assault, which authorities have declared was a terrorist incident, took place during the Day of Atonement, the holiest day in the Jewish religious calendar.

The attacker, who was shot dead at the scene, was a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian background who was not on record to counter-terrorism authorities, per security officials.

Official Statements

"Right now our hearts are shattered," the nation's top rabbinical authority stated.

In an interview with a national radio program, he remarked: "Yesterday's events was an awful blow to us, something which we had been concerned about might happen because of the build up."

The attack was not only "a very dark time" for Jews in Britain "but for all of our society," he added.

Government Response

"Our responsibility is to make sure our Jewish population, our residents can conduct their daily activities with security and assurance," a cabinet minister stated.

"I do not want Jewish people in our country to feel like they have to live a smaller Jewish life, that they cannot go about their business and follow their beliefs and go to their communal institutions in without fear," she continued.

The perpetrator was not recognized to security services, she told broadcasters, and it was "premature" to say if there was a terror network behind the attack.

Investigation Update

The law enforcement inquiry was "continuing at pace" and there was an additional law enforcement visibility at synagogues across the UK.

"Funding is available for security funding," the official stated, adding: "We must evaluate what additional measures we can implement to address growing religious prejudice."

Greater Manchester police announced they were assisting the relatives of the two men killed.

"My deepest sympathies are with the families of the victims at this extremely hard time," the lead investigator declared.

He said that specialized support personnel were in communication with families and would maintain assistance through the investigative procedures.

"Although procedures exist which need compliance, we commit to being mindful of community customs and concerns and to guaranteeing that the victims and their families' preferences are followed," he continued, stating that the deceased individuals were from the local area.

Post-mortems are being conducted on Friday, as confirmed by authoritative reports.