Manchester synagogue attack: Syrian-born attacker was on bail for rape charge, shouted ‘This is what you get…’

Jihad al-Shamie lived with his family in the Manchester area for last three decades. He currently resided in Prestwich, which was 3 kms from site of attack.

The attacker behind the Manchester synagogue stabbing incident, Jihad al-Shamie, was on police bail for a rape charge. Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent, was shot and killed minutes after he rammed pedestrians and went on a stabbing spree.

Ambulance incident workers process the body of a man, believed to be the attacker, at the scene, after a report of an incident in which a car was driven at pedestrians and a stabbing attack outside a synagogue, in north Manchester, Britain. REUTERS/Hannah McKay (REUTERS)

35-year-old Shamie was an accused in an alleged sexual attack, which is believed to have taken place earlier this year, The Guardian reported.

Two people were killed and three others injured after the Syrian-born attacker ploughed a car into a crowd outside the synagogue and went on a stabbing spree on Thursday. The attack was later declared as a terrorist attack.

The killer, who wielded a large knife, attacked those outside the synagogue after ramming his car into pedestrians. He also wore what appeared to be an explosive belt, which was later found to be fake. He was shot dead seven minutes after he rammed the car into pedestrians.

Though two people died in the incident, the British authorities said one of the victims was accidentally shot by a police officer as he tried to stop the attacker from entering the building.

The two victims were identified as congregant Adrian Daulby, 53, and security guard Melvin Cravitz, 66, according to the Associated Press.

The report said that a pathologist determined that Daulby had a gunshot wound. Since the attacker did not had a gun, the victim may have been “a tragic and unforeseen consequence” of police actions, Greater Manchester Police Chief Stephen Watson said.

What was the motive behind attack?

Jihad al-Shamie entered UK as a small child and was granted British citizenship in 2006 when he was around 16. He lived with his family in the Manchester area for the last three decades. He currently resided in the town of Prestwich, around three kilometres from the scene of the attack, according to the Daily Mail.

The British authorities said that Shamie had not been referred to the government's anti-terrorism programme Prevent and was not known to security services.

While carrying out the attack, Shamie shouted, “This is what you get for killing our children” as he tried to break down the door, ITV News quoted Alan Levy, chairman of the synagogue’s trustees as saying.

Daulby and an another man, who was injured, barricaded the door and prevented the attacker from entering the synagogue.

The attack on the synagogue, which comes amid a war in Gaza, was declared a terrorist attack. However, the police are still working to identify the motive.