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The individual responsible for the deadly attack at a Jewish house of worship in Manchester had been released on bail from authorities related to an alleged rape when the incident took place, as per available information.

The attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, aged 35, was being probed for the reported sexual assault that reportedly occurred earlier this year.

The attacker, of Syrian origin, is also thought to have a record of criminal offenses, however he had not drawn attention from counter-terrorism officials.

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

Two individuals, 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, lost their lives during the incident. One victim succumbed to a bullet fired by officers targeting the attacker.

Counter-terrorism police and security services are currently investigating the attacker's background, as it is believed that he chose the holiest day in Judaism, the most sacred day in the Jewish calendar, to attack those praying.

Even though Shamie had not been flagged to counter-terrorism agencies or enrolled in the anti-radicalisation scheme Prevent, he had been prosecuted for criminal offenses.

It remains unclear when the reported rape took place, but Shamie was on bail while under investigation by Greater Manchester police.

An insider stated that he had additional prior offenses, albeit for less serious crimes unrelated to terrorism.

“He was on nobody’s radar for terrorism but he certainly possessed a criminal record, though no indication he was going to do such an extreme act,” an informant remarked.

Police are looking into whether Shamie was behind a death threat to a ex-Member of Parliament in 2012.

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

The former MP, who stepped down as MP for Henley in 2024, said he was unsure if it was the identical individual and believed that authorities had not taken the threat against his life seriously enough at the time.

Media coverage from that year indicated 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 coverage 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 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.”

Police have yet to verify whether the “Jihad Alshamie” who messaged Howell is the identical person who committed the synagogue attack, but they are exploring a possible link.

The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said that the attacker 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, although investigations were continuing.