Mohammad Bashir: Manchester synagogue attacker’s friend who planned MoD base terror attack jailed for life
Jihad Al-Shamie, who attacked a Manchester synagogue with a knife, and a “determined jihadist” who planned a terror attack on a defense base in the UK have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
Manchester Crown Court heard Mohammed Bashir, 31, described as a “long-standing, committed jihadist”, took Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, on a 10-hour round trip to conduct hostile reconnaissance at the UK Defense Academy in Shrivenham, Swindon, on August 14 last year.
On October 2, two men were killed in a separate incident as worshipers gathered at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue to commemorate Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews.
Al-Shamie, a Syrian-born British citizen who wore a fake suicide belt, was shot dead by police in front of the building.
Last month Bashir, of Cheetham Hill, Manchester, pleaded guilty to preparation for terrorist acts.
Prosecutors said there was no evidence the defendant was involved in the Heaton Park incident, but the planned attack on the defense facility was similar in nature and could have led to multiple deaths.
The court heard that MoD Shrivenham is the home of the UK Defense Academy, which provides professional defense and security training to the British armed forces, the wider UK government, UK industry and overseas personnel.
There will routinely be up to 4,000 staff, contractors, students and visitors on site at any one time.
Sentencing Bashir on Thursday, Judge Cheema-Grubb said he had become a “committed jihadist” by August last year and was “equally preoccupied” with Al-Shamie in planning an attack on a British military target “which you and he expected to kill and be killed”.
He denied his assertion to his parole officer that he no longer held extremist views and expressed remorse for his actions.
The judge said: “I think you remain dangerous. You have given no reason why your attitude has actually changed.”
After the sentencing, Manchester-born Bashir, who also carries a Pakistani passport, smiled at family members in the courtroom’s upper gallery as he casually walked from the dock.
Following the synagogue attack, WhatsApp messages and voice note exchanges between the two were revealed when police analyzed two phones seized from Al-Shamie in early 2025.
The devices were seized in February when he was arrested for allegedly breaching a harassment prevention order and in September when he was arrested on suspicion of rape.
Sir Stephen Watson, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, issued an apology for the “missed opportunity” to gather intelligence on Al-Shamie before launching the attack.
The court heard police also received orders to examine Al-Shamie’s online iCloud and iPhone storage data, while CCTV footage of the two men at Al-Sunnah Mosque in Cheetham Hill also formed a key part of the prosecution case.
Both mistakenly thought they were hiding from the cameras and that their conversation would not be overheard as they discussed their plans.
