Greater Manchester Police (GMP) acknowledged in court that it failed to examine mobile devices seized from Jihad Al-Shamie months before he killed two worshippers at a synagogue on Yom Kippur, a lapse the force’s chief constable described as a “missed opportunity” to detect his extremist mindset. Sir Stephen Watson stated that the devices, confiscated during two prior arrests in 2025, contained substantial evidence of radical views that “would have inspired further investigative action.” Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by security forces during the attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation, which claimed the lives of Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53.

According to GMP’s internal review, the significance of the encrypted data was not realised because the phones were never examined before the attack. Sir Stephen expressed “deep regret” for the added distress caused to victims’ families and confirmed that the Independent Office for Police Conduct has opened an inquiry into the investigative failures. The disclosure was made public following the conclusion of legal proceedings against Mohammad Bashir, 31, an associate of Al-Shamie, who was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 17 years at Manchester Crown Court. Prosecutors established that Bashir had driven Al-Shamie on a reconnaissance mission to the UK Defence Academy in Shrivenham in August 2025 and had shared extremist content with him, though there was no evidence Bashir participated in the synagogue attack itself.

In a separate but contemporaneous case, federal prosecutors in Buffalo, New York, opened a terrorism trial against Hadi Matar, the man convicted of stabbing author Salman Rushdie in 2022. The US government contends that Matar acted to fulfil a 1989 fatwa issued by Iran’s late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and is presenting his writings and communications as evidence of loyalty to Iran’s theocratic government and Hezbollah. Defence attorneys argue that determining Matar’s intent is speculative, telling jurors there are “no hard facts” linking his state of mind to a transnational terrorism charge. Rushdie, who lost sight in one eye, is expected to testify.

Viewed from London, the GMP admission has intensified scrutiny of counter-terrorism procedures, with the forthcoming inquests into the Manchester deaths expected to examine all aspects of the police handling. Analysts in Washington note that the Rushdie trial tests the reach of federal terrorism statutes in cases where the accused is already serving a lengthy state sentence. Both proceedings highlight the persistent challenge authorities face in converting seized material into actionable intelligence before lone actors or small cells move from reconnaissance to violence. The IOPC review and the coroner’s findings will determine the operational impact of the missed checks in Manchester, while the US trial is set to continue with further witness testimony.