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The individual who carried out the violent assault at a Manchester synagogue had been released on bail from authorities related to an accusation of sexual assault when the incident took place, as per available information.

The attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, who was 35 years old, was being probed for the reported sexual assault that is said to have happened earlier this year.

Al-Shamie, of Syrian origin, is believed to have a record of criminal offenses, though he had not drawn attention from anti-terror authorities.

The assailant was killed by police gunfire by responding police after he killed a member of the Jewish community and caused serious harm to several other people 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 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz, lost their lives during the incident. One victim was fatally hit a bullet fired by officers targeting the attacker.

Anti-terror units and intelligence agencies are working to uncover the assailant's history, with indications that he selected the holiest day in Judaism, the highest holy day in the Jewish year, to attack those praying.

Although the attacker had not been flagged to anti-terror organizations or referred to the Prevent deradicalization program, he had been prosecuted for prior crimes.

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

An insider indicated that he possessed other criminal convictions, though for less serious crimes with no connection to terrorism.

“No one suspected him of terrorism but he certainly possessed a history of crime, though nothing to suggest he was going to do such an extreme act,” said one source.

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

The email to John Howell came from someone calling themselves “Jihad Alshamie” and stated, “It is people like you who deserve to die.”

Howell, who stepped down as MP for Henley in 2024, expressed uncertainty if it was the identical individual and believed that authorities had not taken the death threat with adequate seriousness at the time.

A news report from 2012 suggested that Howell 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, according to 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 weird 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 yet to verify whether the “Jihad Alshamie” who contacted the former MP is the identical person who committed the assault on the synagogue, but they are exploring a potential connection.

The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said that Shamie was not under active investigation by counter-terrorism police or security agencies when the attack. They had no reason to think he had previously been on their radar, though inquiries were continuing.