Greater Manchester Police have apologised after an internal review found that phones seized from the man who attacked a synagogue in Manchester were never examined before the assault. Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said the failure to review the data constituted a "missed opportunity" that would have inspired further investigative action.
Jihad al-Shamie was shot dead by police in October after attacking Heaton Park synagogue on Yom Kippur. He was wearing a fake suicide belt. Two Jewish men, Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died in the attack, described as the deadliest antisemitic incident in Britain in recent memory.
The apology came as a friend of Shamie, Mohammad Bashir, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 years at Manchester Crown Court. Bashir, 31, had pleaded guilty to preparing terrorist acts after the pair carried out a hostile reconnaissance mission to the UK Defence Academy in Shrivenham, Swindon, in August last year. Prosecutors said the planned attack on the defence facility would have caused multiple fatalities.
Sir Stephen said Shamie had been arrested in February and September last year, and that his mobile devices had been seized on each occasion. He added: "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 2 October 2025." The Independent Office for Police Conduct is reviewing GMP's past investigations into Shamie.
Sentencing Bashir, Judge Cheema-Grubb described him as a "fully committed jihadist" and rejected his claim that he no longer held extremist views. After the synagogue attack, WhatsApp messages and voice notes between the pair were uncovered on the phones seized from Shamie. Raphi Bloom, of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester, welcomed the apology and said officers had been "outstanding" in protecting the community.
