Suspect in Manchester Synagogue Assault Was on Bail for Alleged Rape During Time of Incident
The individual who carried out the deadly attack at a Jewish house of worship in Manchester was free on police bail in connection with an accusation of sexual assault when the incident took place, as per reports.
The attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, aged 35, was being probed for the reported sexual assault that is said to have happened earlier this year.
Al-Shamie, of Syrian origin, is believed to have a record of criminal offenses, however he was not being monitored from anti-terror authorities.
The assailant was fatally shot by responding police following the murder of a Jewish man and caused serious harm to several other people during the assault on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester's northern area last Thursday.
Two individuals, Adrian Daulby, 53 and Melvin Cravitz, 66, lost their lives in the attack. One of them was fatally hit a round discharged by armed police aimed at the attacker.
Counter-terrorism police and intelligence agencies are working to uncover the assailant's history, as it is believed that he chose the holiest day in Judaism, the highest holy day in the Jewish year, to attack those praying.
Although the attacker was not known to anti-terror organizations or referred to the Prevent deradicalization program, he had faced prosecution for criminal offenses.
The exact timing the reported rape took place, but Shamie had been bailed while being investigated by local law enforcement.
One source indicated that he had additional criminal convictions, though for minor infractions unrelated to terrorism.
“He was on nobody’s radar for terrorism but he definitely had a criminal record, though nothing to suggest he was going to do such an extreme act,” said one source.
Authorities are examining whether Shamie was behind a death threat to a former Conservative MP in the year 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 Henley's representative in 2024, expressed uncertainty if it was the identical individual and felt that police did not treat the death threat with adequate seriousness at the time.
Media coverage from that year suggested that Howell 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 said in 2012, according to 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 distorted view of life, to make an attempt to act on it.” He added that Thames Valley police had given him “highly effective security advice.”
Police have yet to verify whether the “Jihad Alshamie” who messaged the former MP is the identical person who carried out the synagogue attack, but they are exploring a possible link.
Shabana Mahmood, Shabana Mahmood, stated that Shamie was not under ongoing scrutiny by anti-terror units or security agencies at the time of the incident. They had no reason to think he had previously been on their radar, although inquiries were continuing.
