A senior police chief has apologised for what he described as a “missed opportunity” to scrutinise the Manchester synagogue terrorist before last October’s attack, in which two worshippers were killed.
Sir Stephen Watson, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, said he was “deeply sorry” as an associate of Jihad Al-Shamie was handed a life sentence for conspiring with him to target Israeli soldiers at a UK military training site two months before the synagogue atrocity.
Police have now confirmed that officers had seized two mobile phones from Al-Shamie in the months before he drove a car into the wall outside Heaton Park Synagogue in October 2025.
The devices were taken after his arrest on February 13, 2025, over an alleged breach of a non-molestation order, and again on September 21, when he was arrested on suspicion of rape — just weeks before the attack.
However, messages in which Al-Shamie spoke about becoming “war ready” and said he had “had enough of this world” were not examined until after the deadly incident.
A later review of the phones also uncovered evidence that, two months before the synagogue attack, Mohammad Bashir, 31, a delivery driver living with his parents, had driven Al-Shamie on a reconnaissance trip to the UK Defence Academy at Shrivenham in Oxfordshire.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct has opened an investigation into the handling of the case, and the matter is also expected to feature in the inquest into the attack.
As Bashir, described as a “committed jihadist”, was jailed for life for plotting to attack the military base, Sir Stephen offered an apology to the families of Melvin Cravitz, 66, who was stabbed to death by Al-Shamie, and Adrian Daulby, 53, who was killed by a stray police bullet when armed officers shot the attacker, who had been wearing a fake suicide belt.
CCTV footage from a Manchester mosque on August 9, 2025 captured ‘committed jihadist’ Mohammad Bashir, 31, (left) plotting with synagogue terrorist Jihad Al-Shamie (right) to attack a British military base
Mohammad Asim Bashir, 31, a delivery driver from Cheetham Hill, Manchester, was today jailed for life for preparing a terrorist attack by driving Heaton Park Synagogue attacker Jihad al-Shamie to carry out hostile reconnaissance on another potential target two months earlier
Mohammad Asim Bashir (pictured), 31, drove al-Shamie’s car on a ten¿hour round trip from Manchester, despite being uninsured, and the pair spent 13 minutes in the area of the Defence Academy in Oxfordshire before returning
‘In conducting an internal review, it became apparent that Greater Manchester Police had seized Al-Shamie’s mobile devices, at the point of each arrest,’ he said.
‘The significance of the data contents of these devices was substantial in respect of evidencing an extremist mindset.
‘Regrettably, I can confirm that the significance of the information stored on Al-Shamie’s devices was not realised as they had not been examined before the attack took place on October 2, 2025.
‘It is for the IOPC and the Coronial Inquests to determine the impact of not reviewing the contents of the devices.
‘There can however, be little doubt that the information contained within these devices would have inspired further investigative action.
‘It is clear that our not having reviewed the data available to us prior to the attack constitutes a missed opportunity.
‘I am disappointed at the prospect of adding to the distress of all of those affected by the terrible events last October.
Synagogue attacker Jihad Al–Shamie (pictured) died in the attack in Heaton Park on October 2, 2025
‘For this, I am deeply sorry.’
Al-Shamie, from Prestwich, Greater Manchester, drove his black Kia Picanto into a security guard outside the synagogue on October 2, 2025 before stabbing to death Mr Cravitz as worshippers barricaded themselves inside.
Tragically a stray bullet killed Mr Daulby, who was among those preventing the attacker from entering the building.
Al-Shamie and Bashir previously plotted to attack the UK Defence Academy in order to target soldiers from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) who they believed were being trained there, Manchester Crown Court heard yesterday.
It provides defence and security education to the British Armed Forces, UK government, industry and overseas personnel and routinely has up to 4,000 staff, contractors, students and visitors on site at any given time, the court was told.
Bashir drove Shamie’s car on a ten-hour round trip from Manchester on August 14, 2025 despite being uninsured.
The pair spent 13 minutes in the area of the Defence Academy in Shrivenham before returning.
At around that time Al-Shamie made an entry in his iPhone notes entitled ‘Espionage’ which the court heard was ‘plainly’ a description of the reception area of the base.
Court artist sketch of Mohammad Bashir appearing at the Old Bailey in London
Both Bashir and Al-Shamie deliberately disposed of their mobile phones after carrying out the hostile reconnaissance, Mr Polnay told the court.
Ultimately no attack was launched.
But following Al-Shamie’s killing by armed police outside Heaton Park Synagogue, the seized handsets were examined by counter-terrorism police, with a warrant obtained for his online iCloud storage.
This uncovered WhatsApp and voice note exchanges between Bashir and Al-Shamie, including a chat group called ‘Aspiring to the Ranks of the Elite’ of which they were both members.
Bashir sent over 2,000 messages to the group and prosecutor Jonathan Polnay KC said he was a ‘long-standing, committed jihadist’.
His messages with Al-Shamie ‘demonstrated they were both close associates and both shared in an extremist worldview,’ he added.
In one exchange, on November 18 2024, Al-Shamie told Bashir how he had been working out at home and invited him to play football with him, adding: ‘May Allah grant you strength and make u even more war ready.’
Bashir told him: ‘Inshallah akhi [god willing brother], I’m gonna get on it. Then I’m gonna call out the biggest Jews to scrap.’
On December 2, Al-Shamie sent a voicemail to Bashir saying he wanted to go and fight in Syria, where he was born.
‘I’ve had enough of this world,’ he added.
‘I’ve had enough of this life. I’ve had enough of all of it akhi [brother].
‘I don’t want to live in this miserable city, in this dunya [worldly life], for much longer uksumbillah [I swear by Allah].’
CCTV footage from the Al-Sunnah Mosque in Manchester – combined with data from Al-Shamie’s handset – demonstrated that both men were planning a terrorist attack on the Defence Academy, Mr Polnay said.
On the afternoon of August 9, 2025, both men arrived at the mosque in Al-Shamie’s Kia.
They sat in the car for 40 minutes while Al-Shamie carried out an internet search for ‘IDF soldiers UK’.
It led them to an article about Israeli army officers studying at the Royal College of Defence Studies in central London.
The pair re-entered the mosque at 7.10pm and sat down at the back – believing ‘erroneously’ that they wouldn’t be on camera, Mr Polnay said.
Instead, CCTV played to the court showed them reading the article at the back of a deserted prayer hall, checking no one else was around.
Al-Shamie then said: ‘Allahuakhbar, allahuakbar’ [god is great] and added: ‘There is no doubt that there will be Israeli IDF guys there.’
Bashir added: ‘You got to look into it bro, look into it, this is the place, this is the place.’
Al-Shamie said they could ‘just storm the place’ and told Bashir: ‘You’re a better driver than me, sometimes, I can’t view a map, I get stressed, I miss the exit.’
Bashir said there was ‘no doubt, no grey area’ and Al-Shamie added: ‘I wish we had a weapon. We need to get one, crossbow.’
He added: ‘Anyone working there, gone. Women and men.’
Bashir meanwhile stood up and gestured as though he was holding an assault rifle, saying he was ‘really excited’.
Al-Shamie told him that before they went on the ‘mission’ they would need to ‘say bye to loved ones’ and pay off any debts.
‘Of course,’ Bashir replied.
As they exit the mosque, Al-Shamie says: ‘It’s exciting.’
Bashir replies: ‘This is like, this time next year, we will be in green birds.’
Mr Polnay said a terrorism expert had noted that in Islamic literature, the ‘green birds of paradise are intimately linked to notions of martyrdom’.
Ultimately no attack on the Defence Academy or other military establishment took place.
The Crown said there was no evidence to suggest Bashir was involved in the planning of the attack at Heaton Park.
Bashir, of Cheetham Hill, Manchester, pleaded guilty in June to preparing a terrorist attack and disseminating terrorist material encouraging martyrdom over WhatsApp.
Jailing Bashir today for life with a minimum of 17 years, judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said he had been ‘equally engaged and enthusiastic’ as Al-Shamie about the plan and his sentencing ‘must stand as a warning’.
Afterwards Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, head of Counter-Terrorism Policing North West, said Bashir was a ‘very dangerous man’ who was an ‘equal partner’ with Al-Shamie in the plot to attack the Defence Academy.
‘They were they were both vociferous in their extremist, antisemitic, deep rooted beliefs,’ he added.
