Manchester Synagogue Attacker Was on Bail for Alleged Rape When Attack Occurred
The suspect responsible for the violent assault at a Jewish house of worship in Manchester was free on bail from authorities related to an alleged rape at the time, according to available information.
The attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, who was 35 years old, was being probed for the reported sex crime that reportedly occurred earlier this year.
The attacker, of Syrian origin, is believed to have previous criminal convictions, however he had not drawn attention from anti-terror authorities.
The assailant was killed by police gunfire by responding police following the murder of a member of the Jewish community and caused serious harm to multiple other individuals during the attack at the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester's northern area on Thursday.
Two men, 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, lost their lives in the attack. One of them was fatally hit a bullet fired by officers targeting the attacker.
Counter-terrorism police and security services are currently investigating the attacker's background, with indications that he selected the holiest day in Judaism, the highest holy day in the Jewish year, to target worshippers.
Even though the attacker was not known to counter-terrorism agencies or referred to the Prevent deradicalization program, he had been prosecuted for criminal offenses.
It remains unclear when the alleged sexual assault took place, but Shamie had been bailed while being investigated by Greater Manchester police.
One source indicated that he had additional prior offenses, albeit for minor infractions with no connection to terrorist activities.
“No one suspected him of terrorism but he definitely had a criminal record, though nothing to suggest he was going to do anything like this,” said one source.
Police are examining whether Shamie sent a death threat to a former Conservative MP in 2012.
A message to John Howell came from someone identifying as “Jihad Alshamie” and said, “It is people like you who deserve to die.”
The former MP, who stepped down as Henley's representative in 2024, said he was unsure if it was the same person and believed that authorities had not taken the threat against his life with adequate seriousness at the time.
Media coverage from that year indicated that Howell may have been singled out due to his support for Israel.
“The last thing I want to appear as is a drama queen, but you have to take seriously a threat when it says, ‘I would like to see you dead,’” the former MP remarked at the time, in coverage from media outlets.
“It is not just a question of me, it is my family and my staff. All it takes is one person out there who is unstable enough, with a distorted view of life, to make an attempt to act on it.” He noted that Thames Valley police had provided him with “extremely good security advice.”
Police have not confirmed whether the “Jihad Alshamie” who messaged the former MP is the same individual who committed the assault on the synagogue, but they are exploring a potential connection.
Shabana Mahmood, Shabana Mahmood, stated that Shamie was not under ongoing scrutiny by anti-terror units or intelligence services when the incident. They had no reason to think he had previously been on their radar, though investigations were continuing.
