News

Man jailed for life after ‘preparing for terrorism’ in relation to Manchester synagogue attack

It comes after he pleaded guilty last month to 'conducting hostile reconnaissance of a UK defence facility'.

Emily Sergeant - 24th July 2026

A man with links to the Manchester synagogue terrorist attacker has been jailed for life after pleading guilty to preparing for acts of terrorism.

You may remember that earlier last month, it was revealed that Mohammad Asim Bashir, of Shaftesbury Road in Cheetham Hill, had pleaded guilty to one count of preparation for acts of terrorism under the Terrorism Act 2006, and a subsequent two-day sentencing hearing to decide his fate had been set for this week at Manchester Crown Court.

The sentencing this week comes after Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW) launched a large-scale investigation to establish the full circumstances behind the attack.

In case you need a reminder, the shocking knife and car attack took place on 2 October 2025 on Yom Kippur – the holiest day in the Jewish calendar – at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue.

During the incident, two men sadly lost their lives during the attack – Adrian Daulby, 53, who was shot dead by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) while trying to stop the attacker from entering the synagogue, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, a worshipper who also helped stop the attacker.

The attacker was named as 35-year-old Jihad al Shamie – a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent who lived in Prestwich – who at the time was on bail for an alleged rape, before being shot dead by police.

Following the terrorist attack, enquiries conducted by detectives identified Bashir as an associate of Jihad Al-Shamie, and established that the two of them had conducted ‘hostile reconnaissance of a UK defence facility’ on 14 August 2025.

The pair were seen on CCTV prior to the trip discussing criteria for potential targets to attack.

They were then seen on ANPR cameras making the journey to the site – with Bashir acting as the driver for most of the journey.

Phones belonging to the attacker were reviewed by CTPNW and identified Bashir as a ‘close associate’ who also held extremist views, as during WhatsApp conversations between the pair, they discussed preparing for ‘war’ and frequently made antisemitic remarks.

Further enquiries established that both men had made a 10-hour round trip to conduct the aforementioned hostile reconnaissance of the UK Defence Academy in Shrivenham.

Bashir acted as driver for most of the journey and Al Shamie made notes regarding the security arrangements for the base on his phone.

Both men disposed of the phones they had used to conduct their research and make notes, however the investigation team successfully accessed cloud data for a number of mobile phones linked to Al Shamie – which revealed internet searches for weapons, potential target sites, and individuals with links to the Israeli military.

This, coupled with CCTV footage and audio showing them discussing plans for an attack, provided damning evidence against Bashir.

Read more:

• Man pleads guilty to ‘preparing for acts of terrorism’ in relation to synagogue attack
• Independent review into police actions during Manchester synagogue terror attack finds ‘no misconduct’
• Spike in antisemitic incidents reported after Manchester synagogue terror atta

Bashir was therefore sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 16 years and 135 days.

“Bashir is now facing the consequences of his actions and I hope his sentence will act as a deterrent to anybody considering taking part in extremist activity,” concluded Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, who holds operational responsibility for Counter Terrorism Policing North West.

Featured Image – GMP