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 was free on police bail in connection with an alleged rape when the incident took place, according to reports.
Jihad al-Shamie, who was 35 years old, was under investigation over an alleged sexual assault that reportedly occurred in recent months.
The attacker, of Syrian origin, is also thought to have previous criminal convictions, though he was not being monitored from counter-terrorism officials.
Shamie was fatally shot by armed officers after he killed a member of the Jewish community and severely injured multiple other individuals during the assault on the Heaton Park synagogue in north Manchester on Thursday.
Two men, Adrian Daulby, 53 and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, lost their lives during the incident. One of them was fatally hit a bullet fired by officers targeting Shamie.
Anti-terror units and security services are working to uncover the assailant's history, as it is believed that he selected the holiest day in Judaism, the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar, to target worshippers.
Even though Shamie was not known to anti-terror organizations or referred to the Prevent deradicalization program, he had faced prosecution for criminal offenses.
It remains unclear when the reported rape occurred, but the suspect had been bailed while being investigated by Greater Manchester police.
An insider indicated that he possessed other prior offenses, though for less serious crimes unrelated to terrorism.
“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,” an informant remarked.
Authorities are examining whether Shamie sent a death threat 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 same person and believed that authorities did not treat the death threat with adequate seriousness back then.
A news report from that year suggested that he 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,’” Howell said in 2012, 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 given him “highly effective security advice.”
Police have yet to verify whether the “Jihad Alshamie” who messaged Howell is the identical person who committed the synagogue attack, but they are exploring a potential connection.
The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said that Shamie was not under ongoing scrutiny by anti-terror units or security agencies at the time of the incident. They did not believe he had ever been on their watchlist, though investigations were continuing.