The Telegraph has more information about Jihad Al-Shamie, the Manchester synagogue terrorist. It turns out that he comes from a good Muslim family. His father, who emigrated to Britain from Syria, is a trauma surgeon who has worked in war zones around the world. He has expressed shock and horror at his son’s actions. Jihad has two brothers, who appear to have been excellent students. One of them has an advanced degree in mathematics and is described as an expert on artificial intelligence.
About Jihad himself:
It has now emerged that the attacker grew up less than a mile from the synagogue he attacked.
Jihad was born in Syria but moved to the UK when he was an infant along with his parents and younger brother, Jawad.
The family initially settled in the Crumpsall area of north Manchester, which is home to a large Jewish population.
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Little is known of Jihad’s teenage years but his two younger brothers were exceptionally bright and did well at school.
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There is virtually no trace of any social media activity for Jihad, but in 2012, a person using the email address “Jihad Alshamie” sent death threats to a Conservative MP following comments he made defending Israel.John Howell, who was the Tory MP for Henley at the time, was offered police protection after he received around 30 emails.
One person, calling himself Jihad Alshamie, wrote a series of emails, including one which said, “It is people like you who deserve to die.”
So that was 13 years ago. It is not clear whether Jihad on been on the radar of law enforcement since that time.
At one time, it was widely thought that Islamic terrorism was largely a function of poverty, and that economic development would bring about political and religious reform. But that optimistic assumption turned out to be ill-founded, as terrorists were often educated and intelligent men–engineers, doctors, and so on. Jihad Al-Shamie illustrates the fact that Islamic terrorism is, often, an elite activity.
UPDATE: The Telegraph has news on Jihad’s criminal history:
The Manchester synagogue terrorist was on police bail for an alleged rape when he carried out the attack, The Telegraph can disclose.
Jihad al-Shamie, 35, was under investigation over an alleged sexual attack which is understood to have taken place earlier this year. It is also believed he had other criminal convictions.
MORE: al-Shamie’s physician father expressed horror at his son’s deed, but it turns out that the father, Faraj Al Shamie, praised Hamas’s October 7 massacre:
In one post penned the day of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, Al Shamie’s father said the Hamas terrorists who carried out the onslaught “prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that Israel will not remain.”
“Men like these prove they are God’s men on earth, and regardless of who leads them, this is the true compass for men confident of their victory even if their means are limited,” he wrote, according to translations shared by the Telegraph.
“May God protect Palestine and its heroic people. God bless you and may He bless you with true men from the lineage of true men.”
Days later, he questioned why Hamas wasn’t receiving support from others, writing: “Our brothers in Palestine are publicly asking for help from anyone who still has a part of honor or humanity, but with God’s permission they will be victorious oh you who sold your religion.”
Like father, like son. Once again, the image of the respectable, moderate Muslim turns out to be a mirage.
