UK man linked to Manchester synagogue attacker admits terrorism offence

LONDON - A British man on Friday pleaded guilty to helping the perpetrator of a deadly attack on a Manchester synagogue in October to carry out earlier reconnaissance on a UK defence site.

Mohammad Asim Bashir, 31, appeared at London's Old Bailey court and admitted driving Jihad Al-Shamie to the UK Defence Academy in Oxfordshire, central England in August 2025.

Less than two months later, Al-Shamie drove a car into pedestrians before attacking people with a knife at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue. One man died from stab wounds and another was accidentally shot dead by the police.

Al-Shamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, told police he was acting for Islamic State before officers shot him dead.

Police said when Bashir was charged that the offence was not directly linked to the synagogue attack.

(Reporting by Sam Tobin. Editing by Andrew MacAskill)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 8:08 AM.