Mohammad Bashir, a 31-year-old friend of the Manchester synagogue attacker, has been sentenced to life in prison for plotting a separate attack on a military base. Bashir drove Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, on a 10-hour round trip to conduct hostile reconnaissance at the UK's Defence Academy in Shrivenham, Swindon, on August 14 last year.
Details of the plot
On October 2, Al-Shamie, a Syrian-born UK citizen, was shot dead by police after killing two Jewish men at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue. Bashir, of Cheetham Hill, Manchester, pleaded guilty to preparation of terrorist acts and was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court. Prosecutors stated there was no evidence linking Bashir to the Heaton Park incident, but noted the planned attack on the defence facility was similar in nature and would have caused multiple fatalities.
Sentencing and judge's remarks
MoD Shrivenham houses the UK's Defence Academy, which provides education to armed forces, government, industry, and overseas personnel, with up to 4,000 people on site at any time. Sentencing Bashir, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb described him as a 'firmly committed jihadist' by August last year, equally engaged with Al-Shamie in planning an attack where they expected to kill and be killed. She rejected his claim of no longer holding extremist views, stating: 'I consider you remain dangerous. You have given no grounds that your attitude has really changed at all.'
Following sentencing, Bashir, who also holds a Pakistani passport, smiled to family in the courtroom as he left the dock. After the synagogue attack, WhatsApp messages and voice notes between the pair were uncovered from phones seized from Al-Shamie earlier in 2025, confiscated during arrests for a breach of a non-molestation order and suspicion of rape. Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson issued an apology over the 'missed opportunity' to gather intelligence on Al-Shamie before his attack. The court also heard that police obtained a warrant to examine Al-Shamie's iCloud and iPhone data, while CCTV footage of the two men at Al-Sunnah Mosque in Cheetham Hill formed part of the prosecution case. Both men wrongly believed they had hidden from cameras and their conversations would not be heard.
