The perpetrator of the terrorist attack at a British synagogue this week was under investigation for rape and had been released on bail by the police, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation. Jihad al-Shamie, 35, had convictions for past crimes that were unrelated to terrorism, according to the official at Greater Manchester Police, who was not authorized to speak publicly about an active investigation. On Thursday, the assailant rammed his car into people outside the synagogue, Heaton Park Congregation, in Manchester, England, and then went on a stabbing spree before being shot dead by the police while trying to enter the building. Two other men were killed, including one who was accidentally struck by a police bullet, and three others were injured and remain hospitalized. The attack, which came on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, has added to fears about the safety of Jews around the world amid rising antisemitism.
