Deadly twist of fate meant Manchester terror attack victim was at synagogue

One of the men killed in yesterday's synagogue attack nearly stayed at home rather than attending synagogue in a tragic twist of fate.

Adrian Daulby, 53, had been hesitant to attend the Heaton Park synagogue on Thursday, which was Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

He had chosen not to fast in line with tradition as he was still fighting health issues from his cancer battle, and had only recentlystarted going there to pray following his father's death three years ago.

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His neighbour Hussain said: “Adrian survived cancer. He only recently started going back to the synagogue again after his dad passed away around three years ago. I spoke to him on Tuesday and we were talking about it being a big celebration day.

“But he said he wasn’t feeling too good so wasn’t going to fast. Adrian was debating on whether he was going to go to the synagogue or not. He said he wasn’t going to go originally as he wasn’t feeling too good. So the synagogue didn’t even come into my head that he might be there when I saw it on the news.”

He added that Adrian enjoyed being outdoors and that his garden was a special place for him and had a YouTube channel which showed him caring for a neighbour's cat and feeding birds. He also loved children, and would treat the kids on the street like they were his own. "They will miss him greatly", Hussain said.

Adrian lived in his family home alone following the deaths of his mother and father, reports The Sun.

The latest on Mr Daulby comes after police said one of thevictims killed in yesterday's attack was shot by their officers.

Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, was shot dead by armed officers minutes after stabbing two men to death on Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish year - at Heaton Park synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester.

The force had earlier named the two people killed as Adrian and Melvin Cravitz, 66. Three others remain in hospital with serious injuries.

Greater Manchester Police said that though an official post-mortem is still to be carried out, an initial study of one of the victim's bodies shows he suffered a gunshot wound. GMP didn't confirm whether the wound sustained behind the barricaded doors of the synagogue was the fatal injury that killed him.