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Two arrested after BB gun attack injures three Jews in Salford
Police suspect victims were targeted because they were Jewish as community leaders warn of an escalation in antisemitic attacks
Two people have been arrested after three Jews were injured when a BB gun was fired from a passing car in Salford in what police are treating as a religiously aggravated attack.
The incident happened at about 10pm on Monday on Leicester Road, where three adults suffered injuries after shots were fired from a moving vehicle.
Greater Manchester Police later arrested two suspects on suspicion of religiously aggravated common assault. A BB gun uses compressed air or springs to fire spherical projectiles.
The force confirmed the arrests in a statement, saying: “Officers have arrested two people in connection with a BB gun being fired at members of the Jewish community.
“At around 10pm on Monday 20 July on Leicester Road, Salford, three people suffered minor injuries after being shot with a BB gun from a passing vehicle.
“Following extensive CCTV enquiries, officers identified two suspects and arrested them on suspicion of religiously aggravated common assault.
“Threats to our communities will not be tolerated, and we’re continuing to enhance our security in Jewish communities across Greater Manchester to help keep them safe on our streets.”
Police said enquiries remain ongoing and appealed for anyone with information to come forward.
The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said the victims were all Jewish adults and praised volunteers from Shomrim Greater Manchester for helping officers identify the vehicle involved by reviewing CCTV footage.
Stephen Silverman, the CAA’s Director of Investigations and Enforcement, said: “Last summer, in an unrelated incident, two men filmed themselves firing a water gun from their car at a Jewish passerby. Now it has escalated to real injuries from a BB gun. What will be next?
“While we thank Greater Manchester Police for their professionalism in apprehending suspects, our message to the Government is that its extra spending on policing to protect British Jews is not the solution. Rampant extremism and Jew-hatred must be tackled at source, including the use of a conflict thousands of miles away to inflame hatred here in Britain.
“We are extremely grateful to the volunteers of Shomrim Greater Manchester for their remarkable diligence, and we wish the victims a full and speedy recovery. Swift justice will be a first step to restoring deterrence for these sorts of crimes. But it is still no substitute for the political and societal leadership that we desperately need to confront the antisemitic and extremist ideologies plaguing this country, with Jews paying the highest cost.”
The arrests come a day after Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson apologised to the Jewish community over failings before last year’s Heaton Park Synagogue terror attack, admitting officers missed an opportunity to examine mobile phones belonging to attacker Jihad al-Shamie before he carried out the assault on Yom Kippur. The matter is now under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Greater Manchester Police on 101 or via LiveChat, quoting log 3864 of 20 July 2026. Information can also be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers.
Jewish News has contacted CST for comment.
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