Mohammad Bashir, age 31, received a life sentence at Manchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to preparing an act of terrorism. He will serve a minimum of 17 years before becoming eligible for release.
The case emerged during the investigation into an attack on the Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester on October 2. That assault involved Jihad Al-Shamie, who drove a vehicle into people gathered outside the synagogue and then fatally stabbed a man. Another individual died after being inadvertently shot by police during the incident as congregants secured a door. Three additional men sustained serious injuries. Al-Shamie, who had expressed allegiance to the Islamic State group, was shot and killed by police at the scene.
Investigators discovered that Bashir and Al-Shamie had jointly planned an assault on the United Kingdom’s Defense Academy located in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire, which provides training for British military personnel. According to Al-Shamie’s beliefs, the facility was involved in training Israeli Defense Forces. Two months before the synagogue attack, Bashir transported Al-Shamie to the academy to conduct surveillance. The men discussed methods of entry, weapon selection, and the use of a dummy suicide vest.
During sentencing, Justice Bobbie Cheema-Grubb stated that both men anticipated they would be killed in the operation and intended to cause maximum casualties using handheld weapons and the fake explosive device. The Crown Prosecution Service described Bashir as “a determined jihadist and dangerous individual” whose actions reflected “deliberate and sustained commitment to violent extremism.”
Bashir left the United Kingdom two days following the synagogue attack and was arrested upon returning to Manchester Airport in November after traveling to Pakistan for a family wedding. Police disclosed Thursday that messages between the two men were discovered on phones seized from Al-Shamie during earlier arrests in 2025. Chief Constable Stephen Watson acknowledged the department’s failure to review available data prior to the attack, describing it as “a missed opportunity” and expressing regret for the distress caused to those affected.
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