Manchester Police Seized the Synagogue Attacker's Phones Twice. Nobody Looked At Them Until After He Killed Two Men.

Two Arrests, Two Seized Phones, Zero Examinations

Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, was arrested by Greater Manchester Police twice in 2025 before he killed two men at Heaton Park Synagogue on October 2. Both times, officers seized his mobile phones. Both times, nobody checked what was on them, according to Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson.

The first arrest came February 13, 2025, over an alleged breach of a non-molestation order. The second came September 21, 2025, on suspicion of rape. Al-Shamie was out on police bail for that rape allegation when he drove a Kia Picanto into the gates of Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, then attacked worshippers with a knife while wearing a fake suicide belt.

Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, died. Police shot Al-Shamie dead at the scene.

What Was On the Phones

The devices contained WhatsApp messages and voice notes between Al-Shamie and Mohammad Bashir, a friend and fellow extremist, according to evidence presented at Manchester Crown Court. Those messages showed the two men discussing violence, preparing for what they called a "war," and talking about becoming martyrs.

Two months before the synagogue attack, in August 2025, Bashir drove Al-Shamie on a 10-hour round trip to the UK Defence Academy in Shrivenham, Swindon, a site that trains up to 4,000 military staff, contractors, and students at a time, according to the Guardian. Prosecutors called it hostile reconnaissance for a planned attack.

Bashir pleaded guilty last month to preparing terrorist acts. Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb sentenced him Thursday, July 23, to life in prison with a minimum term of 17 years, describing him as a "committed jihadist," according to Reuters reporting carried by Global Banking & Finance Review.

Prosecutors said there was no evidence Bashir had any role in the Heaton Park attack itself. But the Shrivenham plot, they said, was similar in nature and could have caused multiple fatalities had it gone forward.

The Chief Constable's Apology

Watson could only speak publicly about GMP's prior contact with Al-Shamie once Bashir's case concluded, since rules restricting comment on live criminal proceedings were lifted.

"There can, however, be little doubt that the information contained within these devices would have inspired further investigative action," Watson said, according to the Guardian. "It is clear that our not having reviewed the data available to us prior to the attack constitutes a missed opportunity."

He went further in remarks reported by ITV News: "Regrettably, I can confirm that the significance of the information stored on Al-Shamie's devices was not realised as they had not been examined before the attack took place on the 2nd of October 2025."

"I am disappointed at the prospect of adding to the distress of all of those affected by the terrible events last October. For this, I am deeply sorry," he said.

What Watchdog Investigators Are Looking At

The Independent Office for Police Conduct confirmed it is investigating all prior contact between GMP and Al-Shamie before the attack, including how the force responded to reports of crimes he allegedly committed, according to the BBC. One officer is under investigation for potential misconduct related to handling the rape and other sexual offense allegations against him.

An IOPC spokesperson said that being under investigation "does not necessarily mean that disciplinary proceedings will follow," and that decision won't come until the investigation concludes.

Why a phone tied to two separate criminal arrests, one for an alleged sexual offense serious enough to warrant a rape investigation, sat unexamined for months is a question GMP's critics are raising. Digital forensics backlogs are a real and widely documented problem across UK police forces, not unique to Manchester. That's a systemic capacity issue, not necessarily evidence of an officer looking away on purpose. But a backlog doesn't change what happened: the data existed, it showed an "extremist mindset," in Watson's own words, and it wasn't looked at until two men were already dead.

Al-Shamie was a British citizen of Syrian descent who, prosecutors say, told police during the attack that he was acting for Islamic State, according to Reuters. He called police mid-attack and said, "I pledge allegiance to the Islamic State and I have killed two Jews."

What Comes Next

The IOPC investigation into GMP's handling of the case is ongoing, with no timeline given for when it will conclude or whether any officer will face disciplinary action. Watson has not said whether GMP's digital forensics backlog, staffing, or internal review procedures will change as a result. Families of Cravitz and Daulby have not publicly responded to Thursday's disclosures as of this writing, and no civil claims against the force have been reported.