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The suspect responsible for the violent assault at a Jewish house of worship in Manchester had been released on bail from authorities related to an accusation of sexual assault at the time, as per reports.

The attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, aged 35, was under investigation for the reported sexual assault that is said to have happened earlier this year.

Al-Shamie, who was born in Syria, is also thought to have a record of criminal offenses, though he had not drawn attention from counter-terrorism officials.

Shamie was fatally shot by armed officers following the murder of a member of the Jewish community and severely injured multiple other individuals during the attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester's northern area on Thursday.

Two men, 53-year-old Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz, 66, lost their lives in the attack. One victim succumbed to a round discharged by officers aimed at Shamie.

Anti-terror units and security services are working to uncover the assailant's history, as it is believed that he chose the holiest day in Judaism, the most sacred day in the Jewish year, to target worshippers.

Although Shamie was not known to counter-terrorism agencies or referred to the Prevent deradicalization program, he had faced prosecution for criminal offenses.

It remains unclear when the reported rape took place, but Shamie had been bailed while being investigated by Greater Manchester police.

An insider indicated that he had additional criminal convictions, albeit for less serious crimes unrelated to terrorism.

“No one suspected him of terrorism but he definitely had a history of crime, though no indication he was going to do such an extreme act,” said one source.

Police are examining whether Shamie sent a death threat to a former Conservative MP in the year 2012.

A message to the former MP was sent by someone calling themselves “Jihad Alshamie” and said, “It is people like you who deserve to die.”

Howell, who left his position as MP for Henley in 2024, said he was unsure if it was the identical individual and believed that police did not treat the threat against his life with adequate seriousness at the time.

Media coverage from 2012 suggested that Howell may have been singled out 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 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 weird enough, with a warped perspective of life, to make an attempt to carry this out.” He noted that Thames Valley police had given him “extremely good security advice.”

Law enforcement have not confirmed whether the “Jihad Alshamie” who contacted the former MP is the same individual who committed the synagogue attack, but they are investigating a potential connection.

Shabana Mahmood, Shabana Mahmood, stated that the attacker was not under ongoing scrutiny by counter-terrorism police or security agencies at the time of the attack. They did not believe he had ever been on their watchlist, though inquiries were still ongoing.