Mohammad Bashir, 31, of Shaftesbury Road, Cheetham Hill, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 17 years at Manchester Crown Court on July 23. He pleaded guilty to one count of preparing a terrorist act.
Bashir was caught on CCTV and audio at Al-Sunnah mosque in Cheetham Hill on August 9 last year, discussing a terrorist attack with Jihad Al-Shamie. The pair planned to attack the Defence Academy in Oxfordshire, a military college for the UK Armed Forces, after finding articles online claiming Israeli Defence Force officers trained there.
They drove a 10-hour round trip to the site, with Bashir driving and Al-Shamie spending 15 minutes examining the reception and main gates. Al-Shamie typed notes in his phone under the heading 'espionage'.
Heaton Park synagogue attack
Two months later, Al-Shamie crashed his car into the gates of Heaton Park synagogue on October 2 last year. Wearing a fake suicide belt, he stabbed 66-year-old Melvin Cravitz to death. Adrian Daulby, 53, was inadvertently shot by police during the response. Al-Shamie was shot dead by armed police.
Bashir left the UK on October 4 on a flight booked on August 19. He was arrested at Manchester Airport on November 27 upon returning from a family holiday to Pakistan. He had sold the phone used to contact Al-Shamie and wiped another phone before returning. He was not charged in connection with the Heaton Park attack.
Police response
Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts of Counter Terrorism Policing North West said: 'Mohammed Bashir is a dangerous individual with extremist views who held conversations about preparing for war.' He added: 'Bashir is now facing the consequences of his actions and I hope his sentence will act as a deterrent.'
Greater Manchester Police apologized for missing an opportunity to investigate Al-Shamie before the attack. Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said mobile devices seized from Al-Shamie, who was on bail for rape, contained evidence of an 'extremist mindset' but had not been examined. He said he was 'deeply sorry' for the 'missed opportunity'.
The IOPC is investigating GMP's contact with Al-Shamie and has advised one officer they are under investigation for potential misconduct in relation to handling of rape allegations.
