Suspect in Manchester Synagogue Assault Had Been Released on Bail for Reported Sexual Assault During Time of Incident
The suspect responsible for the violent assault at a Jewish house of worship in Manchester had been released on police bail in connection with an alleged rape when the incident took place, according to available information.
The attacker, 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, however he was not being monitored from counter-terrorism officials.
The assailant was killed by police gunfire by armed officers following the murder of 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 men, Adrian Daulby, 53 and Melvin Cravitz, 66, lost their lives during the incident. One victim was fatally hit a round discharged by officers targeting Shamie.
Counter-terrorism police and security services are currently investigating 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 target worshippers.
Although the attacker was not known to counter-terrorism agencies or enrolled in the Prevent deradicalization program, he had faced prosecution for criminal offenses.
The exact timing the alleged sexual assault occurred, but the suspect was on bail while under investigation by Greater Manchester police.
An insider stated that he had additional prior offenses, though for less serious crimes with no connection to terrorist activities.
“He was on nobody’s radar for terrorism but he definitely had a criminal record, though no indication he was going to do anything like this,” an informant remarked.
Police are looking into whether the attacker was behind a threatening message to a former Conservative MP in the year 2012.
The email to the former MP came from someone identifying as “Jihad Alshamie” and stated, “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 police had not taken the threat against his life seriously enough back then.
A news report from 2012 suggested that he was likely targeted due to his support for Israel.
“The last thing I want to appear as is a drama queen, but you have to take seriously a threat when it says, ‘I would like to see you dead,’” Howell remarked at the time, 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 carry this out.” He noted that local police had provided him with “extremely good security advice.”
Police have not confirmed whether the “Jihad Alshamie” who contacted the former MP is the same individual who committed the assault on the synagogue, but they are investigating a possible link.
Shabana Mahmood, Shabana Mahmood, said that the attacker was not under active investigation by anti-terror units or intelligence services when the incident. They had no reason to think he had ever been on their watchlist, although investigations were still ongoing.
