A police chief constable has said he is "deeply sorry" after admitting phones of a terrorist were seized months before he carried out an attack at a synagogue – but never examined to uncover his "extremist mindset".
Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by police on 2 October 2025 while he carried out the attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester in which two worshippers were killed.
His phones, containing details of his extremist mindset and terror fixation, had been seized by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) but officers did not analyse the contents until after he launched the attack.
The apology came after Al-Shamie’s friend and accomplice, Mohammad Bashir, 31, was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years for planning a separate terror attack with Al-Shamie on the UK Defence Academy at Shrivenham.
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