Manchester Synagogue Attacker Had Been Released on Bail for Alleged Rape When Attack Occurred

The individual responsible for the violent assault at a Manchester synagogue was free on police bail in connection with an alleged rape when the incident took place, according to available information.

The attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, who was 35 years old, was under investigation for the reported sex crime that is said to have happened in recent months.

The attacker, who was born in Syria, is believed to have a record of criminal offenses, however he had not drawn attention from counter-terrorism officials.

Shamie was fatally shot by responding police following the murder of a Jewish man and severely injured several other people during the assault on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester's northern area last Thursday.

Two individuals, 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, died in the attack. One of them succumbed to a bullet fired by officers targeting the attacker.

Anti-terror units and intelligence agencies are currently investigating the assailant's history, as it is believed that he selected the holiest day in Judaism, the highest holy day in the Jewish calendar, to target worshippers.

Although Shamie had not been flagged to anti-terror organizations or enrolled in the Prevent deradicalization program, he had faced prosecution for prior crimes.

It remains unclear when the reported rape took place, but the suspect was on bail while under investigation by Greater Manchester police.

An insider stated that he had additional criminal convictions, albeit for minor infractions unrelated to terrorist activities.

“He was on nobody’s radar for terrorism but he certainly possessed a criminal record, though no indication he was going to do such an extreme act,” said one source.

Police are examining whether Shamie was behind a threatening message to a former Conservative MP in 2012.

A message to John Howell came from someone identifying as “Jihad Alshamie” and stated, “It is people like you who deserve to die.”

The former MP, who stepped down as MP for Henley in 2024, said he was unsure if it was the identical individual and felt that police did not treat the threat against his life seriously enough at the time.

A news report from that year indicated that he was likely targeted due to his pro-Israel stance.

“I don’t want to seem overdramatic, but you have to take seriously a menacing message when it says, ‘I would like to see you dead,’” the former MP remarked at the time, in reports by the Jerusalem Post.

“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 weird 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 contacted Howell is the same individual who committed the assault on the synagogue, but they are investigating a potential connection.

The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said that the attacker was not under active investigation by anti-terror units or intelligence services when the attack. They did not believe he had previously been on their radar, though investigations were still ongoing.