Suspect in Manchester Synagogue Assault Was on Bail for Alleged Rape During Time of Incident
The suspect who carried out the deadly attack at a Jewish house of worship in Manchester had been released on police bail related to an alleged rape when the incident took place, as per available information.
Jihad al-Shamie, aged 35, was being probed over an alleged sexual assault that reportedly occurred earlier this year.
The attacker, of Syrian origin, is also thought to have a record of criminal offenses, however he had not drawn attention from counter-terrorism officials.
Shamie was killed by police gunfire by responding police following the murder of a Jewish man and severely injured several other people during the attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester's northern area on Thursday.
Two men, 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz, 66, lost their lives during the incident. One of them succumbed to a round discharged by officers aimed at the attacker.
Counter-terrorism police and intelligence agencies are working to uncover the assailant's history, with indications that he selected Yom Kippur, the most sacred day in the Jewish year, to target worshippers.
Even though the attacker had not been flagged to anti-terror organizations or enrolled in the Prevent deradicalization program, he had faced prosecution for criminal offenses.
The exact timing the reported rape occurred, but Shamie had been bailed while under investigation by Greater Manchester police.
An insider stated that he had additional criminal convictions, though for minor infractions unrelated to terrorism.
“No one suspected him of terrorism but he certainly possessed a history of crime, though nothing to suggest he was going to do such an extreme act,” an informant remarked.
Police are looking into whether Shamie was behind a threatening message to a former Conservative MP in the year 2012.
A message to John Howell came from someone calling themselves “Jihad Alshamie” and stated, “It is people like you who deserve to die.”
Howell, who stepped down as Henley's representative in 2024, expressed uncertainty if it was the identical individual and believed that authorities had not taken the death threat with adequate seriousness back then.
Media coverage from 2012 suggested that Howell was likely targeted due to his pro-Israel stance.
“The last thing I want to appear as is a drama queen, but you have to take seriously a menacing message when it says, ‘I would like to see you dead,’” the former MP said in 2012, in reports 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 warped perspective of life, to make an attempt to carry this out.” He added that Thames Valley police had given him “extremely good security advice.”
Police have yet to verify whether the “Jihad Alshamie” who contacted the former MP is the same individual who committed the synagogue attack, but they are investigating a potential connection.
The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said that Shamie was not under ongoing scrutiny by anti-terror units or security agencies when the attack. They did not believe he had ever been on their radar, although investigations were continuing.
