Syrian-born terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie was awaiting trial on rape charges when he killed two people in a Yom Kippur synagogue attack in England on Thursday, U.K. outlets reported.
Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by law enforcement minutes after he rammed his car into a crowd outside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester and attacked worshippers with a knife during the holiest Jewish holiday of the year, leaving two dead and three seriously injured.
The Syrian native, who moved to the U.K. as a teenager, was due to appear in court for a rape understood to have taken place earlier this year in Manchester, according to the Telegraph.
“He was on nobody’s radar for terrorism, but he definitely had a criminal record, though nothing to suggest he was going to do anything like this,” a police source told The Guardian.
But Al-Shamie had sent death threats to Conservative parliament member John Howell in 2012 after the MP defended Israel’s right to self-defense, requiring Howell to employ police protection. One email from Jihad Al-Shamie read, “It is people like you who deserve to die,” the Telegraph reported.
Al-Shamie’s father had previously praised Hamas after the terror group’s October 7, 2023, massacre of 1,200 Israelis, the New York Post reported.
In the hours and days following the attack, Islamists and anti-Israel activists flooded U.K. streets, calling for Israel’s destruction and setting off fireworks.
Pro-Pals took over the streets of central London last night. Set off fireworks in the busiest parts. Chanted for Israel’s destruction. And I don’t see a single police officer. So do racist thugs run our capital now? It’s like a nightmare dystopia. @metpoliceuk pic.twitter.com/AA6VqwNQ4K
— Heidi Bachram 🎗️ (@HeidiBachram) October 2, 2025
The synagogue attack comes weeks after the U.K. Labour government accused Israel of committing genocide in the Gaza Strip, a move many have pointed to as potentially fueling further hatred toward Jews.
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Leader of the U.K. Reform Party Nigel Farage echoed these sentiments, condemning both the street celebrations and the Starmer government’s weak response.
“The whole Jewish community in Britain [is] now deeply fearful. Within just a few hours of this horrific incident, we saw … pro-Palestinian flags on the streets, people out, previously unplanned, demonstrating. But here’s the truth of it, they weren’t demonstrating, they were actually celebrating,” Farage said on X. “I can’t even imagine we’ve ever seen such vile scenes on our streets, certainly not in my lifetime.”
Farage blasted British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, a staunch anti-Israel activist, for her tepid response to the violence against Jews.
“In response to this, the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, says she’s disappointed. Disappointed. That’s the most the Home Secretary can say,” Farage continued. “Well, I hope all of you watching this video are outraged, outraged, and frankly frightened. This is broken Britain. This is evidence of societal breakdown. It is deeply worrying and very frightening.”
Farage also criticized Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s recent recognition of a Palestinian state and warned about an upcoming protest planned for Saturday in London.
“There is a big, big march planned in London this Saturday. And I think the only way we can describe it is a hate march,” Farage said. “I must admit, saying this now to you today, I feel more worried about the state of broken Britain than I ever have before.”
