The individual who carried out an attack at a Manchester synagogue had previously planned to target Israeli soldiers at a British military base, a court has heard.
Jihad al-Shamie, 35, and Mohammad Bashir, 31, discussed plans for an attack on the UK Defence Academy in Oxfordshire, which they believed was training soldiers from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). The plan aimed to cause "multiple fatalities" and have "national and international impact," prosecutor Jonathan Polnay KC told Manchester Crown Court.
Bashir has admitted to preparing a terrorist attack by driving al-Shamie on a reconnaissance mission to the Defence Academy two months before the synagogue attack. On August 14, 2025, Bashir drove al-Shamie's car on a ten-hour round trip from Manchester to the academy in Shrivenham. They spent approximately 13 minutes in the area before returning. Bashir was uninsured to drive the vehicle, and both men later disposed of their mobile phones.
Evidence presented in court, including CCTV footage from the Al-Sunnah Mosque in Manchester and data from al-Shamie's phone, indicated the pair were planning the assault on the Defence Academy. On August 9, 2025, they met at the mosque, where al-Shamie conducted an internet search for "IDF soldiers UK." This led them to an article about Israeli army officers studying at the Royal College of Defence Studies in London.
During discussions captured on CCTV at the mosque, al-Shamie stated, "There is no doubt that there will be Israeli IDF guys there." Bashir responded, "You got to look into it bro, look into it, this is the place, this is the place." Al-Shamie suggested they could "just storm the place" and that Bashir, being a better driver, could navigate. He also expressed a desire for a weapon, such as a "crossbow," adding, "Anyone working there, gone. Women and men."
Bashir, described as a "long-standing, committed jihadist" who sent over 2,000 messages to a group chat called 'Aspiring to the Ranks of the Elite,' gestured as if holding an assault rifle and expressed he was "really excited." Al-Shamie noted the need to "say bye to loved ones" and pay off debts before undertaking the mission.
Ultimately, the planned attack on the Defence Academy did not occur. The court heard that al-Shamie drove his car into a security guard outside the Heaton Park Synagogue on October 2, 2025, before fatally stabbing Melvin Cravitz, 66. Al-Shamie was wearing a fake suicide vest and was shot dead by armed police. Tragically, Adrian Daulby, 53, was killed by a stray bullet during the incident.
Bashir, a dual British and Pakistan citizen, left the UK for Pakistan with his family two days after the synagogue attack. He was arrested at Manchester Airport upon his return on November 27 and pleaded guilty in June to preparing a terrorist attack and disseminating terrorist material. His sentencing hearing is ongoing.
Messages recovered from al-Shamie's seized phones after the synagogue attack revealed exchanges between him and Bashir discussing extremist views and preparing for conflict. In one message from November 18, 2024, al-Shamie told Bashir, "May Allah grant you strength and make u even more war ready." Bashir replied, "Inshallah akhi [god willing brother], I'm gonna get on it. Then I'm gonna call out the biggest Jews to scrap."
In a voicemail on December 2, al-Shamie expressed a desire to go to Syria and stated, "I've had enough of this world. I've had enough of this life. I've had enough of all of it akhi [brother]. I don't want to live in this miserable city, in this dunya [worldly life], for much longer uksumbillah [I swear by Allah]." The UK Defence Academy provides defense and security education to military and civilian personnel from the UK and other nations, with up to 4,000 individuals on-site at any given time.