Defence Academy of the United Kingdom

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

Mohammad Bashir, described as a long-standing jihadist, helped drive Jihad Al-Shamie on a reconnaissance trip to the UK Defence Academy before Al-Shamie carried out a fatal knife and vehicle attack at the Heaton Park synagogue on October 2, 2025. Bashir has pleaded guilty to planning terrorist acts and prosecutors say the pair exchanged messages showing a shared extremist worldview, with investigations highlighting their coordinated, cross-cutting plots that spanned the defence base and the synagogue attack.