Greater Manchester police have admitted to a "missed opportunity" to prevent the attack on Heaton Park synagogue, after it emerged that crucial data on phones seized from the attacker, Jihad al-Shamie, was never examined. Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson issued a formal apology, stating that the failure to review the data constituted a significant investigative error.
Police admit investigation errors
Sir Stephen Watson said that al-Shamie's mobile devices were seized during arrests in February and September 2025, but the data was not analysed before the attack on 2 October 2025. He stated: "There can, however, be little doubt that the information contained within these devices would have inspired further investigative action. It is clear that our not having reviewed the data available to us prior to the attack constitutes a missed opportunity." He added: "I am disappointed at the prospect of adding to the distress of all of those affected by the terrible events last October. For this, I am deeply sorry."
Life sentence for accomplice
The apology came as Mohammad Bashir, 31, a friend of al-Shamie, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 17 years for planning a terrorist attack on the UK Defence Academy in Shrivenham, Swindon. The pair had conducted a hostile reconnaissance mission in August 2025, driving a 10-hour round trip to the site. Prosecutors said there was no evidence linking Bashir to the synagogue attack, but the planned assault on the defence facility was similar in nature and would have caused multiple fatalities.
Details of the synagogue attack
In October 2025, al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by police after attacking Heaton Park synagogue on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. He was wearing a fake suicide belt. Two Jewish men, Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, died in what has been described as the deadliest antisemitic attack in Britain in recent memory.
Internal review and watchdog involvement
Sir Stephen Watson explained that now legal proceedings against Bashir are complete, he could share more information. He said an internal review revealed that the significance of the data on al-Shamie's devices was not realised because it had not been examined before the attack. The Independent Office for Police Conduct is reviewing GMP's past investigations into al-Shamie.
Community response
Raphi Bloom, a member of the managing board of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester, welcomed the apology and the candour of the chief constable. He said: "We have great respect for Sir Stephen and his officers. They have been outstanding in the way they have protected the community, made us feel safe and made us feel reassured." He added that he would let the watchdog investigation take its course.
Judge's comments on Bashir
Jailing Bashir, Judge Cheema-Grubb described him as a "fully committed jihadist" at the time of the reconnaissance trip. She said the pair were "equally engaged" in planning an attack on a British military target "in which you and he expected to kill and be killed." She rejected his claim to a probation officer that he no longer held extremist views and regretted his actions, stating: "I consider you remain dangerous. You have given no grounds that your attitude has really changed at all."
Evidence uncovered after the attack
The court heard that after the synagogue attack, WhatsApp messages and voice-note exchanges between the pair were uncovered when police analysed the two phones seized from al-Shamie earlier in 2025. CCTV footage of Bashir and al-Shamie at the Al-Sunnah mosque in Cheetham Hill formed a key part of the prosecution case. Both wrongly thought they had hidden from cameras and that their conversations would not be heard as they discussed their plans. After the sentencing, Manchester-born Bashir, who also holds a Pakistani passport, smiled to family members in the upper public gallery as he walked from the dock.
