Manchester Synagogue Attacker Had Been Released on Bail for Alleged Rape During Time of Incident
The suspect responsible for the violent assault at a Manchester synagogue was free on police bail related to an accusation of sexual assault when the incident took place, according to reports.
Jihad al-Shamie, who was 35 years old, was being probed over an alleged sexual assault that is said to have happened in recent months.
The attacker, of Syrian origin, is also thought to have previous criminal convictions, though he had not drawn attention from anti-terror authorities.
The assailant was killed by police gunfire by responding police after he killed a Jewish man and caused serious harm to several other people during the attack at the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester's northern area on Thursday.
Two individuals, 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, died in the attack. One of them was fatally hit a bullet fired by officers aimed at Shamie.
Counter-terrorism police and security services are working to uncover the assailant's history, with indications that he chose the holiest day in Judaism, the highest holy day in the Jewish calendar, to attack those praying.
Although Shamie had not been flagged to counter-terrorism agencies or referred to the anti-radicalisation scheme Prevent, he had faced prosecution for prior crimes.
The exact timing the alleged sexual assault took place, but Shamie had been bailed while under investigation by Greater Manchester police.
An insider stated that he had additional criminal convictions, though for less serious crimes 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 examining whether the attacker was behind a threatening message to a former Conservative MP in 2012.
A message to the former MP was sent by someone calling themselves “Jihad Alshamie” and said, “It is people like you who deserve to die.”
Howell, who left his position as MP for Henley in 2024, said he was unsure if it was the same person and felt that authorities had not taken the death threat with adequate seriousness at the time.
Media coverage from that year suggested that Howell may have been singled out 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 coverage 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 warped perspective of life, to make an attempt to carry this out.” He added that local police had provided him with “extremely good security advice.”
Police have yet to verify whether the “Jihad Alshamie” who contacted Howell is the same individual who carried out the synagogue attack, but they are exploring a possible link.
The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said that Shamie was not under active investigation by anti-terror units or security agencies at the time of the incident. They did not believe he had ever been on their radar, though inquiries were continuing.
