A man who planned a terror attack with his friend who went on a fatal knife rampage at a Manchester synagogue less than two months later has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 years. Mohammad Bashir, described as a “long-standing, committed jihadist” as the prosecution set out its case against him yesterday at Manchester Crown Court, 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, Manchester Crown Court heard.
On October 2, two men were killed in a separate incident as worshippers gathered at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue to mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews. Syrian-born UK citizen Al-Shamie, who wore a fake suicide belt, was shot dead by police outside the building.