India, Oct. 4 -- The man who killed two people in a knife and vehicle attack at a Manchester synagogue last week was on bail after being arrested on suspicion of rape, police said on Friday.

Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor, head of Counter Terrorism Policing, identified the attacker as 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie, a British citizen of Syrian descent who lived in Prestwich, Manchester.

"We believe the suspect, who died at the scene, was 35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie. A suspicious device attached to his torso was examined and confirmed to be a fake," Taylor told reporters.

He said Al-Shamie was not known to counter-terrorism investigators but had a criminal history.

Police believe Al-Shamie was influenced by "extreme Islamist ideol...