Moment synagogue attacker and friend discuss being martyrs
GMPFootage showing the moment the Manchester synagogue attacker and his associate discussed becoming martyrs has emerged.
Mohammad Bashir, 31, of Cheetham Hill, was jailed for life with a minimum of 17 years at Manchester Crown Court, after pleading guilty to a charge of preparing to commit a terrorist act with Jihad Al-Shamie, 35.
Al-Shamie later attacked worshippers at Heaton Park Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester, on 2 October, resulting in the deaths of two men. Al-Shamie, who was on bail at the time for an alleged rape, was shot dead by police as he targeted the place of worship on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.
Prior to Bashir's sentencing, a court was shown footage of the moment the pair discussed "going green bird". A terrorism expert told Manchester Crown Court that in Islamic literature the "green birds of paradise are intimately linked to notions of martyrdom".
On 9 August, Bashir and Al-Shamie were captured talking alone together at Al Sunnah mosque in Cheetham Hill, in Manchester, where Bashir and Al-Shamie attended.
During the CCTV footage taken at the mosque, Bashir tells Al-Shamie, "This time next year, we're going green bird."
In a previous moment captured during the 30 minutes of footage retrieved by police, the court heard Al-Shamie saying: "I wish we had a weapon.
"We need to get one. Crossbow.
"Is there a way for us to go in?"
Later in the same conversation, Bashir said: "You got me really excited."
Al-Shamie replied: "Once we go there, we're not coming back. Once we go to the mission.
"Prepare to say bye to loved ones, any last debts we could pay off or any fines."
Robert Potts, Assistant Chief Constable with responsibility for Counterterrorism Policing North West, described is as "crucial" to the force's investigation.
"There's quite a bit of conversation at the mosque and we believe that the two subjects did not know that there was audio recorded," Potts told BBC North West Tonight.
"They went to great pains to speak in secretive fashion and to ensure that they weren't overheard within the mosque.
"In interactions that were captured within the mosque, there are references ultimately to them anticipating martyrdom using the term green birds, which is very illustrative of where they were at in terms of their mindset.
"They both demonstrated that they were on a pathway to ultimately aim to commit a terrorist attack."
Potts said the mosque had "cooperated fully" with the investigation - adding, "there is no evidence that anyone else within the mosque had any idea what they were discussing and what they were planning".
GMPBashir drove to the UK Defence Academy in Shrivenham, Oxfordshire with Jihad Al-Shamie to carry out a hostile reconnaissance mission on 14 August 2025.
"We believe the UK Defence Academy was identified because they perceived that there was a link between that academy and the Israeli military," Potts said
"With two attackers taking place, an attack on the UK Defence Academy could have been far more serious - with greater loss of life, even greater loss of life than took place at Heaton Park."
Potts said the force found out the pair had been researching weaponry including knives, bladed weapons and crossbows.
Potts said the force identified Bashir as linked to Al-Shamie before uncovering the former's "extremist mindset".
"He had a very similar mindset, very much a jihadist extremist mindset, and a deep rooted hatred of Jews, a strong anti-semitic hatred," Potts said.
"They'd been close for about three years, having established a close friendship certainly, in 2023, that had lasted through up until October 2025," he said.
"They attended the same mosque, they both joined a WhatsApp group in 2024 that was a group of like-minded extremist individuals who were anti-semitic.
"And their relationship took place in the real world as well."
GMP found evidence in Al-Shamie and Bashir's communications which showed they were "intent on working towards an attack" both via phone and cloud data, Potts said.
Facebook"There was consistent vitriolic anti-semitism that was displayed within their messages from both of the individuals, Mohammed Bashir and Al-Shamie as well," Potts said. "They were very much driven by that mindset and that deep rooted anti-semitic hatred.
"It featured within their messaging, it featured within their conversations and ultimately it featured within their choice of identification of location for a potential attack."
On the pair's extremist communications, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Sir Stephen Watson, apologised in court earlier, after admitting it was a "missed opportunity" that the phones of Al-Shamie were not examined when Al-Shamie was arrested for prior to the Heaton Park attack.
Al-Shamie had been arrested in February 2025 over an alleged breach of a non-molestation order and later in September on suspicion of rape.
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