Manchester Synagogue Attacker Was on Bail for Reported Sexual Assault When Attack Occurred
The individual who carried out the violent assault at a Manchester synagogue had been released on police bail in connection with an alleged rape at the time, according to available information.
Jihad al-Shamie, aged 35, was being probed for the reported sexual assault that is said to have happened in recent months.
Al-Shamie, who was born in Syria, is also thought to have a record of criminal offenses, though he had not drawn attention from counter-terrorism officials.
The assailant was killed by police gunfire by armed officers following the murder of a member of the Jewish community and caused serious harm to several other people during the attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester's northern area on Thursday.
Two individuals, Adrian Daulby, 53 and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, died during the incident. One of them succumbed to a bullet fired by armed police aimed at Shamie.
Counter-terrorism police and intelligence agencies are currently investigating the assailant's history, as it is believed that he chose Yom Kippur, the highest holy day in the Jewish calendar, to attack those praying.
Although Shamie had not been flagged to anti-terror organizations or referred to the Prevent deradicalization program, he had been prosecuted for criminal offenses.
It remains unclear when the alleged sexual assault occurred, but Shamie had been bailed while being investigated by Greater Manchester police.
An insider stated that he had additional prior offenses, albeit for minor infractions with no connection to terrorism.
“No one suspected him of terrorism but he definitely had a history of crime, though nothing to suggest he was going to do anything like this,” said one source.
Police are examining whether Shamie was behind a threatening message to a ex-Member of Parliament in 2012.
The email to John Howell was sent by someone identifying as “Jihad Alshamie” and stated, “It is people like you who deserve to die.”
Howell, who left his position as Henley's representative in 2024, said he was unsure if it was the same person and believed that authorities did not treat the threat against his life seriously enough back then.
Media coverage from 2012 indicated that Howell was likely targeted due to his support for Israel.
“I don’t want to seem overdramatic, but you have to take seriously a threat when it says, ‘I would like to see you dead,’” Howell remarked at the time, according to 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 unstable enough, with a warped perspective of life, to make an attempt to carry this out.” He added 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 identical person who committed the assault on the synagogue, but they are investigating a potential connection.
The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, stated that Shamie was not under ongoing scrutiny by counter-terrorism police or security agencies at the time of the incident. They did not believe he had previously been on their watchlist, though investigations were continuing.
