A man who conducted hostile reconnaissance at a military base alongside the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue attacker has been jailed, Counter Terrorism Policing stated.
Mohammed Asim Bashir, of Shaftesbury Road, Cheetham Hill, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday 23 July to life imprisonment. He will serve a minimum of 17 years, which includes time already spent on remand, leaving 16 years and 135 days to run. He will also be subject to a Serious Crime Prevention Order for five years and to notification requirements under the Terrorism Act should he be released.
Bashir pleaded guilty last month to one count of preparation for acts of terrorism under section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006.
According to Counter Terrorism Policing North West, the investigation followed the terrorist attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in October 2025. Phones belonging to the attacker, Jihad Al Shamie, were reviewed and identified Bashir as a close associate who also held extremist views. In WhatsApp conversations, the police say, the pair discussed preparing for “war” and frequently made antisemitic remarks.
Further enquiries established that both men made a ten-hour round trip to conduct hostile reconnaissance of the UK Defence Academy at Shrivenham on 14 August 2025. According to the police, Bashir acted as driver for most of the journey while Al Shamie made notes on his phone about the security arrangements for the base, under a file titled “espionage”.
Both men disposed of the phones they had used, but investigators accessed cloud data linked to a number of Al Shamie’s mobile phones, which the police say revealed internet searches for weapons, potential target sites and individuals with links to the Israeli military. That, alongside CCTV footage and audio of the pair discussing plans for an attack, formed the evidence against Bashir, who was described by the prosecution during sentencing as a “long-standing, committed jihadist”.
Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, who holds operational responsibility for Counter Terrorism Policing North West, was quoted in the press release as saying: “Mohammed Bashir is a dangerous individual with extremist views who held conversations about preparing for ‘war’. He was caught on camera discussing carrying out a terrorist attack with a man who would later go on to conduct an attack himself. Together they made a ten-hour round trip to conduct hostile reconnaissance at a military base and noted its security arrangements.”
He added: “The pair tried to cover their tracks by disposing of their mobile phones but, thanks to the meticulous work of investigators, evidence of damning internet searches that show research for attack planning were uncovered. Bashir is now facing the consequences of his actions, and I hope his sentence will act as a deterrent to anybody considering taking part in extremist activity.”
Potts said there was no evidence to suggest Bashir knew in advance about the plans to attack the synagogue, adding: “Although there is no evidence to suggest that Bashir knew in advance about plans to conduct a terrorist attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue, I know today’s sentencing will prompt public discussion on that incident. My thoughts today are with all those affected by the attack, particularly the loved ones of those whose lives were taken and those who were seriously injured. They have been at the forefront of our minds throughout the investigation and will continue to be so.”
The UK Defence Academy at Shrivenham in Oxfordshire is the Ministry of Defence’s principal centre for postgraduate education and the training of officers and officials from the armed forces and civil service, including a substantial cohort of international students. The Heaton Park synagogue attack in October 2025, in which worshippers were killed and others seriously injured on Yom Kippur, prompted one of the largest counter terrorism investigations undertaken in the north west of England.
