The man who carried out Thursday’s deadly attack outside a Manchester synagogue was on police bail for an alleged rape at the time of the incident, The Guardian reported on Friday. Sources confirmed that the investigation into the alleged assault, said to have taken place earlier this year, was ongoing when Jihad al-Shamie struck.
Shamie, 35, rammed his vehicle into worshippers before stabbing congregants outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation on Yom Kippur. He killed two men and injured several others before being shot dead by armed police. Authorities later revealed that one of the victims, Adrian Daulby, 53, may have been accidentally shot by officers during their response.
Police named the second victim as Melvin Cravitz, 66, whose family described him as a “gentle giant.” Rabbi Daniel Walker, who was leading prayers, said worshippers bravely held synagogue doors shut as the attacker shouted threats and tried to force his way inside.
The Guardian cited sources saying Shamie had previous criminal convictions for lesser offences but was not on the radar of counter-terrorism police or MI5. Despite his criminal record, he had not been referred to any de-radicalization program. Detectives are now examining whether he was also responsible for a 2012 death threat sent to then-Conservative MP John Howell.
Six people have been arrested on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism in connection with the attack.
The attacker’s family has also faced scrutiny. His father, Dr. Faraj al-Shamie, a trauma surgeon, publicly condemned the killings as a “heinous act” targeting innocent civilians. However, The Telegraph uncovered Facebook posts in which he praised Hamas’s October 7 massacre in Israel as a “miracle” and hailed the terrorists as “Allah’s men on earth.”
In multiple posts, Faraj al-Shamie glorified Hamas and urged wider Arab participation in attacks against Israel. On October 10, he criticized Arab governments for failing to join the assault, and the following day, he again praised the atrocities while calling for the fall of “traitors.”
Police investigations into the Manchester attack remain ongoing. Greater Manchester’s chief constable confirmed that Shamie was not carrying a firearm and that all shots fired came from officers attempting to prevent further casualties.