Manchester Synagogue Attacker Was on Bail for Reported Sexual Assault During Time of Incident

The suspect who carried out the violent assault at a Manchester synagogue had been released on police bail related to an alleged rape when the incident took place, according to reports.

Jihad al-Shamie, aged 35, was under investigation for the reported sexual assault that reportedly occurred earlier this year.

Al-Shamie, who was born in Syria, is also thought to have previous criminal convictions, however he was not being monitored from counter-terrorism officials.

Shamie was killed by police gunfire by armed officers following the murder of a Jewish man and severely injured several other people during the attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in north Manchester last Thursday.

Two individuals, Adrian Daulby, 53 and Melvin Cravitz, 66, lost their lives in the attack. One of them succumbed to a bullet fired by officers aimed at Shamie.

Counter-terrorism police and intelligence agencies are currently investigating the attacker's background, as it is believed that he selected Yom Kippur, the most sacred day in the Jewish year, to target worshippers.

Although the attacker had not been flagged to counter-terrorism agencies 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 was on bail while under investigation by local law enforcement.

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

“No one suspected him of terrorism but he certainly possessed a history of crime, though nothing to suggest he was going to do anything like this,” said one source.

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

The email to John Howell came from someone identifying as “Jihad Alshamie” and said, “It is people like you who deserve to die.”

Howell, who left his position as Henley's representative in 2024, expressed uncertainty if it was the same person and believed that police did not treat the death threat seriously enough at the time.

A news report 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 said in 2012, 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 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 “highly effective security advice.”

Police have not confirmed whether the “Jihad Alshamie” who messaged Howell is the identical person who carried out the synagogue attack, but they are investigating a potential connection.

The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, stated that the attacker was not under ongoing scrutiny by counter-terrorism police or security agencies at the time of the incident. They had no reason to think he had previously been on their watchlist, though investigations were still ongoing.