Manchester synagogue attacker's associate plans MoD terror attack, court hears

A Manchester Crown Court hearing established that Mohammed Bashir, described as a long-standing, committed jihadist, planned a terror attack on the UK Defence Academy in Shrivenham with Jihad Al-Shamie, who later carried out a fatal knife attack at Heaton Park synagogue. The pair undertook a 10-hour round trip on August 14 to conduct hostile reconnaissance at the Defence Academy and deliberately disposed of their mobile phones afterward. Al-Shamie then attacked the synagogue on October 2, killing two worshippers before he was shot dead by police, and a subsequent investigation revealed extensive communications between the two men. Prosecutors said the messages demonstrated they were close associates sharing an extremist worldview, and Bashir has pleaded guilty to the preparation of terrorist acts. Bashir, who is Manchester-born and holds a Pakistani passport, was arrested at Manchester Airport but was not charged in connection with the synagogue attack. The court heard that the planned attack would have involved weapons capable of multiple fatalities and had national and international impact.