'My first wife accepts and knows about us. Please forgive me for the lies'

He went on: “My first wife accepts and knows about us. Please forgive me for the lies.”

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Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by armed police after launching a knife and car attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue last Thursday, killing two people and injuring four more.

The woman, who is not being named, told how she met the killer on the Muslim dating app Muzz — formerly known as Muzmatch — just before Christmas 2021. They married a month later in an Islamic contract ceremony called a Nikah.

A marriage certificate dated January 29, 2022 states the Nikah was “solemnised according to Islamic Law” and references Jihad Al-Shamie and the woman.

The document also references two witnesses and their signatures, as well as the name of an Imam who performed the ceremony. The woman said it took place over an internet video call because of Covid restrictions in place at the time.

She converted to Islam in 2012 and changed her name. She said that throughout their “on-off relationship”, Al-Shamie went by different names on social media, including Jiji Shamie, Jay Ses and Jay Shami.