Manchester Synagogue Attacker Had Been Released on Bail for Reported Sexual Assault When Attack Occurred
The individual responsible for the deadly attack at a Manchester synagogue was free on bail from authorities in connection with an accusation of sexual assault at the time, according to available information.
Jihad al-Shamie, aged 35, was being probed for the reported sex crime that reportedly occurred earlier this year.
The attacker, who was born in Syria, is also thought to have a record of criminal offenses, though he was not being monitored from counter-terrorism officials.
The assailant was fatally shot by armed officers after he killed a member of the Jewish community and caused serious harm to multiple other individuals during the assault on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in north Manchester on Thursday.
Two men, 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz, 66, lost their lives in the attack. One of them was fatally hit a bullet fired by officers aimed at the attacker.
Counter-terrorism police and security services are working to uncover the attacker's background, with indications that he selected the holiest day in Judaism, the highest holy day in the Jewish year, to target worshippers.
Although the attacker had not been flagged to anti-terror organizations or enrolled in the anti-radicalisation scheme Prevent, he had faced prosecution for prior crimes.
The exact timing the alleged sexual assault occurred, but Shamie had been bailed while under investigation by local law enforcement.
One source indicated that he possessed other prior offenses, albeit for minor infractions unrelated to terrorism.
“No one suspected him of terrorism but he definitely had a criminal record, though nothing to suggest he was going to do anything like this,” an informant remarked.
Authorities are examining whether the attacker was behind a threatening message to a former Conservative MP in the year 2012.
The email to the former MP was sent by someone identifying as “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 felt that police did not treat the death threat seriously enough back then.
A news report from 2012 indicated 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 threat when it says, ‘I would like to see you dead,’” the former MP said in 2012, in reports 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 warped perspective of life, to make an attempt to carry this out.” He noted that local police had provided him with “highly effective security advice.”
Law enforcement have not confirmed whether the “Jihad Alshamie” who contacted Howell is the identical person who carried out the assault on the synagogue, but they are exploring a possible link.
The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said that Shamie was not under ongoing scrutiny by counter-terrorism police or intelligence services at the time of the incident. They had no reason to think he had previously been on their radar, though inquiries were still ongoing.
