A synagogue attack probe exposed a second intended target: A UK defense academy

2026-07-23T14:20:05Z London (AP) — A man who plotted a terror attack on a British military academy with a friend who later carried out a deadly stabbing rampage at a synagogue was sentenced Thursday to life in prison. Mohammad Bashir was not involved in the Manchester attack in October on Yom Kippur but the investigation into that crime led to evidence that he and the knife attacker planned similar violence at the U.K.’s Defense Academy west of London that trains British troops. His friend believed the U.K. was training Israeli Defense Forces. Bashir, 31, pleaded guilty at Manchester-crown-court" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="117530" data-entity-type="organization">Manchester Crown Court to preparing an act of terrorism. He will have to serve a minimum of 17 years behind bars before any possibility of release. “Mohammad Bashir is a determined jihadist and dangerous individual who was planning an attack that could have caused devastation,” the Crown Prosecution Service said in a statement. “His actions demonstrate a deliberate and sustained commitment to violent extremism.” Police discovered the military academy plot while investigating the Oct. 2 attack by Jihad Al-Shamie, who drove his car into people gathered outside the Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester on the holiest day in the Jewish calendar and fatally stabbed one man. Another man died after being inadvertently shot by police as he and other congregants barricaded a door to prevent Al-Shamie from entering. Three other men were hospitalized with serious injuries. Al-Shamie, 35, who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, was shot dead by police. (