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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 available information.

Jihad al-Shamie, aged 35, was under investigation over an alleged sexual assault that reportedly occurred in recent months.

The attacker, who was born in Syria, is believed to have a record of criminal offenses, though he had not drawn attention 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 Manchester's northern area last Thursday.

Two individuals, 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, lost their lives in the attack. One victim was fatally hit a bullet fired by officers aimed at Shamie.

Counter-terrorism police and security services are currently investigating the assailant's history, with indications that he chose Yom Kippur, the highest holy day in the Jewish calendar, to attack those praying.

Even though the attacker had not been flagged to counter-terrorism agencies or referred to the anti-radicalisation scheme Prevent, he had faced prosecution for criminal offenses.

The exact timing the reported rape took place, but Shamie had been bailed while under investigation by local law enforcement.

An insider stated that he had additional criminal convictions, though for minor infractions unrelated 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,” an informant remarked.

Authorities are examining whether Shamie was behind a death threat to a ex-Member of Parliament in the year 2012.

A message to the former MP came from someone identifying as “Jihad Alshamie” and said, “It is people like you who deserve to die.”

Howell, who left his position as MP for Henley in 2024, expressed uncertainty if it was the same person and felt that police did not treat the threat against his life with adequate seriousness back then.

Media coverage from 2012 suggested that he may have been singled out 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,’” the former MP said in 2012, in 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 unstable enough, with a distorted view of life, to make an attempt to carry this out.” He added that local police had given him “highly effective security advice.”

Police have not confirmed whether the “Jihad Alshamie” who contacted Howell is the same individual 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 intelligence services at the time of the attack. They did not believe he had ever been on their radar, though investigations were still ongoing.