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| What do we know about Jihad al-Shamie, the Manchester synagogue attacker? | What do we know about Jihad al-Shamie, the Manchester synagogue attacker? |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Attacker, 35, who was shot dead after attack, was described as ordinary by neighbours and became a father last year | Attacker, 35, who was shot dead after attack, was described as ordinary by neighbours and became a father last year |
| Jihad al-Shamie appeared to his neighbours to live a relatively normal life: a new father who lifted weights and parked his car inconsiderately outside the home he shared with his parents. | Jihad al-Shamie appeared to his neighbours to live a relatively normal life: a new father who lifted weights and parked his car inconsiderately outside the home he shared with his parents. |
| The son of an emergency surgeon, Shamie appeared to enjoy a happy childhood, with two younger brothers who went on to have successful careers in computing and pharmacology. | The son of an emergency surgeon, Shamie appeared to enjoy a happy childhood, with two younger brothers who went on to have successful careers in computing and pharmacology. |
| But since he was shot dead after carrying out a deadly antisemitic attack at a synagogue near his home, a fuller picture has emerged. The Guardian has learned that Shamie was already a bankrupt, convicted low-level criminal and an alleged rapist when he set upon worshippers marking Yom Kippur. | But since he was shot dead after carrying out a deadly antisemitic attack at a synagogue near his home, a fuller picture has emerged. The Guardian has learned that Shamie was already a bankrupt, convicted low-level criminal and an alleged rapist when he set upon worshippers marking Yom Kippur. |
| 1. A normal childhood | 1. A normal childhood |
| Jihad al-Shamie had what appeared to be a normal childhood in Manchester in the 1990s. In a home video, recorded to send to his grandfather in Syria, he cuddles a cat in the back garden of the family home, telling his father he wants to feed it; in another he pushes his brother on a swing on the lawn. | |
| Shamie grew up with two younger brothers, the family enjoying days out to Camelot theme park, Chester zoo and the Trafford Centre, and the boys took part in school nativity plays at Christmas. | Shamie grew up with two younger brothers, the family enjoying days out to Camelot theme park, Chester zoo and the Trafford Centre, and the boys took part in school nativity plays at Christmas. |
| At a former family home, opposite North Manchester general hospital, where Shamie’s father previously worked, neighbours described a “normal little boy” who was part of a “nice family”. | |
| He would play well with other children on the street, and the only unusual thing one recalled was that he spent most of the day playing on a handheld computer game – to the point that it made his eyes blink. | He would play well with other children on the street, and the only unusual thing one recalled was that he spent most of the day playing on a handheld computer game – to the point that it made his eyes blink. |
| Brian Smith, 78, said: “They were all right, the father worked over the road, he seemed quite nice, always spoke to me. They were just a nice family, the mother always chatted to us. He used to play on a game, he’d play it all day, he used to blink a lot. | Brian Smith, 78, said: “They were all right, the father worked over the road, he seemed quite nice, always spoke to me. They were just a nice family, the mother always chatted to us. He used to play on a game, he’d play it all day, he used to blink a lot. |
| “My son played with him, he was a couple of years older than Jihad, he seemed all right. He was a normal little boy. I don’t know what what happened to him.” | |
| 2. ‘An ordinary lad’ | |
| Neighbours on Shamie’s quiet suburban street in Prestwich described him as a “straightforward, ordinary lad” who would often exercise in his front garden, lifting sets of weights, with one complaining he regularly parked his car “badly” outside her house. | Neighbours on Shamie’s quiet suburban street in Prestwich described him as a “straightforward, ordinary lad” who would often exercise in his front garden, lifting sets of weights, with one complaining he regularly parked his car “badly” outside her house. |
| The family are believed to have moved to the semi-detached house, about two miles from the scene of the attack, about 15 years ago, when Shamie was about to turn 20. While the brothers were growing up, the family lived in nearby Crumpsall. | The family are believed to have moved to the semi-detached house, about two miles from the scene of the attack, about 15 years ago, when Shamie was about to turn 20. While the brothers were growing up, the family lived in nearby Crumpsall. |
| 3. Son of a trauma surgeon | 3. Son of a trauma surgeon |
| His father, Faraj al-Shamie, travelled the world as a trauma surgeon, working in conflict zones across the globe, including in Iraq, Afghanistan and South Sudan. He previously worked for NGOs, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, and trained with the eminent surgeon David Nott in the Iraqi city of Mosul. | |
| 4. Family statement | 4. Family statement |
| Faraj al-Shamie has distanced the family from his son’s attack, sharing a statement on Facebook that read: “The news from Manchester regarding the terrorist attack targeting a Jewish synagogue has been a profound shock to us. | |
| “The Al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians. We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort.” | “The Al-Shamie family in the UK and abroad strongly condemns this heinous act, which targeted peaceful, innocent civilians. We fully distance ourselves from this attack and express our deep shock and sorrow over what has happened. Our hearts and thoughts are with the victims and their families, and we pray for their strength and comfort.” |
| 5. Personal life | 5. Personal life |
| Shamie had previously worked as a tutor, teaching English and computer programming. However, he was listed as unemployed in government insolvency records which showed he turned to a debt relief order last September while living at the family home. Just one month later, his father posted a picture of him with a newborn, captioning the picture “Great Welcome Grandson”. | |
| 6. Criminal past | 6. Criminal past |
| The Guardian revealed on Friday that Shamie was on police bail for rape when he drove his small black Hyundai into worshippers at Heaton Park shul. It is not known when the alleged sex attack happened but it is understood to have been this year. He was under active investigation by Greater Manchester police. | |
| He had been in trouble before, according to sources, who said he had a criminal record for other less-serious offences. He was not, however, on the radar of counter-terror police or security services until Thursday. | He had been in trouble before, according to sources, who said he had a criminal record for other less-serious offences. He was not, however, on the radar of counter-terror police or security services until Thursday. |
| 7. Radicalisation | 7. Radicalisation |
| In the hours since the attack, investigators have been pulling apart every strand of Shamie’s life to understand who, or what, delivered him on the path to terror. That includes examining phone records, checking the names of friends or associates, and examining his internet history. | In the hours since the attack, investigators have been pulling apart every strand of Shamie’s life to understand who, or what, delivered him on the path to terror. That includes examining phone records, checking the names of friends or associates, and examining his internet history. |
| He appears to have been fixated on the plight of Muslims in parts of the Middle East, particularly in recent years in Gaza. An X account, believed to belong to Shamie has a machinegun as its profile picture, alongside a white flower, and what appears to be a copy of the Qur’an. | |
| A single post on the dormant X account references the bombing of Manbij in Syria in 2016, and calls on God to “stand up against those who wronged and killed them.”. | A single post on the dormant X account references the bombing of Manbij in Syria in 2016, and calls on God to “stand up against those who wronged and killed them.”. |