A Manchester man has been sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in a planned attack on Israeli soldiers in the United Kingdom, two months prior to a fatal synagogue assault. Mohammad Bashir, 31, was convicted at Manchester Crown Court for preparing an act of terrorism linked to reconnaissance activities at a Ministry of Defence training site.

Prosecutors detailed that Bashir, from Cheetham Hill, Manchester, drove Jihad al-Shamie on a scouting mission in August 2025 to the UK Defence Academy in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The pair believed Israeli Defence Force soldiers were undergoing training at the facility. During the visit, al-Shamie conducted surveillance, entered the reception area, and took notes on security measures under a heading labeled “espionage.” Both men discarded their phones following the trip, according to the court hearing.

Two months later, in October 2025, al-Shamie carried out a deadly attack outside the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester. He rammed a Kia Picanto into a security guard before stabbing him in the neck, resulting in the guard’s death. Police arrived shortly afterwards and fatally shot al-Shamie, who was wearing a fake suicide vest at the time.

The court was told al-Shamie, who was 35 at the time of the attack, had been arrested twice before the incident, with his phones seized on both occasions. However, the devices were only examined after his death. Investigators uncovered that al-Shamie and Bashir were participants in a WhatsApp group called “Aspiring to the Ranks of the Elite,” where Bashir had sent approximately 2,000 messages. Prosecutors described Bashir as a “long-standing, committed jihadist” and a “close associate” of al-Shamie.

Jonathan Polnay QC, prosecuting, emphasized that the planned assault on the defence academy could have resulted in “multiple fatalities” and would have had significant national and international ramifications. Following the synagogue attack, Bashir attempted to leave the UK for Pakistan but was apprehended at Manchester airport upon his return.

Bashir pleaded guilty to preparing terrorist acts and disseminating material that encouraged martyrdom via WhatsApp. At sentencing, Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb imposed a life sentence with a minimum term of 17 years. She noted that the plot was intended to mimic the synagogue attack, involving handheld weapons and a fake suicide vest designed to inflict maximum casualties.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched an investigation into prior police interactions with al-Shamie, examining how earlier opportunities to prevent the attack may have been missed.