Manchester Man Charged with Terrorism Offenses Tied to Synagogue Attacker

A 31-year-old man from Manchester has been charged with terrorism offenses linked to an associate of the attacker who killed two people at a synagogue in October. Mohammad Asim Bashir faces one count of preparation for acts of terrorism and three counts of disseminating terrorist publications, according to authorities.

Greater Manchester Police arrested Bashir on November 27 at Manchester Airport as part of an ongoing investigation into the attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue. Officials emphasized that the charges against him do not relate directly to the synagogue incident itself but stem from separate inquiries into his interactions with the perpetrator, Jihad AlShamie. Bashir, a British national who identifies his ethnicity as British Pakistani and resides in the Cheetham Hill area of north Manchester, was remanded in custody following the charges announced on Thursday. He is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Friday.

The synagogue attack occurred on October 2, the eve of Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day, when AlShamie, a 35-year-old British citizen of Syrian descent, drove a Kia Picanto into the synagogue gates in north Manchester...