Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson apologized 'deeply,' saying a 'missed opportunity' allowed the attack to proceed. The court sentenced accomplice Muhammad Asim Bashir to at least 17 years, after he admitted aiding the attacker. Prosecutors acknowledged the attacker, Jihad Al-Shami, was arrested twice before the attack and his phones were seized but not examined until after.
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson issued a 'deep apology' Thursday, acknowledging that a 'missed opportunity' allowed the Yom Kippur synagogue attack last year to proceed. The attacker, Jihad Al-Shami, had been arrested twice before the assault and his mobile phones were seized, but their contents were not examined until after the attack. Watson said there was 'almost no doubt' that examining the devices would have led to further investigative actions.
Separately, the court sentenced Muhammad Asim Bashir, who admitted aiding the attacker, to at least 17 years in prison, describing him as a 'committed jihadist.' The case has drawn attention to systemic failures in counterterrorism intelligence.
The attack is part of a broader pattern of antisemitic violence targeting synagogues in Europe. As The Zioneer has reported, similar incidents occurred in Zurich, where a Swiss teen was sentenced for stabbing an Orthodox Jew outside a synagogue.
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