Mohammad Bashir, 31, has been sentenced to life imprisonment for his role in planning a terrorist attack on a UK military base, a plot linked to the same extremist network as the Manchester synagogue attacker. Bashir drove Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, on a 10-hour round trip to conduct hostile reconnaissance at the Defence Academy in Shrivenham, Swindon, on August 14 last year. Al-Shamie was later shot dead by police after killing two Jewish men at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue on October 2.
Guilty Plea and Sentencing
Bashir, of Cheetham Hill, Manchester, pleaded guilty to preparation of terrorist acts. At Manchester Crown Court, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb sentenced him to life imprisonment, stating that by August last year he had become a 'firmly committed jihadist' and was 'equally engaged' with Al-Shamie in planning an attack on a British military target 'in which you and he expected to kill and be killed'. The judge rejected Bashir's claim to a probation officer that he no longer held extremist views, saying, 'I consider you remain dangerous. You have given no grounds that your attitude has really changed at all.'
Details of the Planned Attack
The target, MoD Shrivenham, houses the UK's Defence Academy, which provides defence and security education to British armed forces, government personnel, and overseas students. At any given time, up to 4,000 staff, contractors, students, and visitors are on site. Prosecutors said the planned attack would have caused multiple fatalities, similar in nature to the synagogue atrocity. There was no evidence linking Bashir to the Heaton Park incident.
Evidence Uncovered After Synagogue Attack
Following the synagogue attack, police uncovered WhatsApp messages and voice note exchanges between Bashir and Al-Shamie on two phones seized from Al-Shamie earlier in 2025. The devices were confiscated during arrests for an alleged breach of a non-molestation order in February and on suspicion of rape in September. Police also obtained a warrant to examine Al-Shamie's iCloud and iPhone storage data. CCTV footage of the two men at the Al-Sunnah Mosque in Cheetham Hill formed a key part of the prosecution case. Both men wrongly believed they had hidden from cameras and that their conversations would not be heard.
Police Apology and Broader Context
Sir Stephen Watson, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, issued an apology over the 'missed opportunity' to gather intelligence on Al-Shamie before the synagogue attack. Following sentencing, Bashir smiled at family members in the upper public gallery as he walked from the dock. He holds a Pakistani passport in addition to his British citizenship.
