Suspect in Manchester Synagogue Assault Was on Bail for Alleged Rape During Time of Incident

The individual responsible for the deadly attack at a Jewish house of worship in Manchester was free on bail from authorities in connection with an accusation of sexual assault when the incident took place, as per available information.

The attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, who was 35 years old, was under investigation for the reported sexual assault that reportedly occurred in recent months.

The attacker, of Syrian origin, is also thought to have a record of criminal offenses, though he was not being monitored from anti-terror authorities.

The assailant was killed by police gunfire by responding police after he killed a Jewish man and severely injured multiple other individuals during the attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in north Manchester on Thursday.

Two individuals, 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, died in the attack. One of them succumbed to a bullet fired by officers targeting the attacker.

Counter-terrorism police and intelligence agencies are working to uncover the attacker's background, as it is believed that he selected Yom Kippur, the highest holy day in the Jewish calendar, to target worshippers.

Although the attacker was not known to anti-terror organizations or referred to the anti-radicalisation scheme Prevent, he had been prosecuted for criminal offenses.

The exact timing the alleged sexual assault occurred, but the suspect had been bailed while being investigated by Greater Manchester police.

One source indicated that he had additional prior offenses, albeit for minor infractions with no connection to terrorist activities.

“No one suspected him of terrorism but he definitely had a history of crime, though no indication he was going to do such an extreme act,” said one source.

Police are examining whether the attacker was behind a threatening message to a ex-Member of Parliament in the year 2012.

A message to John Howell came from someone calling themselves “Jihad Alshamie” and said, “It is people like you who deserve to die.”

Howell, who stepped down as MP for Henley in 2024, expressed uncertainty if it was the identical individual and believed that police did not treat the death threat seriously enough back then.

Media coverage from 2012 indicated that Howell may have been singled out 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,’” 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 weird enough, with a distorted view of life, to make an attempt to act on it.” He added that local 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 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 ever been on their radar, although inquiries were continuing.