A top British law enforcement official expressed deep regret following revelations that investigators, on two occasions, confiscated mobile devices from the terrorist who carried out the Yom Kippur Manchester synagogue attack, yet failed to review their contents, the BBC reported.
35-year-old Jihad Al-Shamie carried out a deadly vehicular and knife attack targeting Heaton Park Synagogue in Crumpsall during Yom Kippur on October 2, 2025, murdering two people before armed response units fatally shot him.
Yet despite seizing Al-Shamie's mobile phones during separate arrests in February and September 2025, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) left the hardware unexamined. The unread digital data contained clear evidence of radicalization.
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson offered a formal apology, acknowledging that reviewing the hardware prior to the assault would have triggered additional police scrutiny.
"In conducting an internal review, it became apparent that GMP had seized Al-Shamie's mobile devices, at the point of each arrest. The significance of the data contents of these devices was substantial in respect of evidencing an extremist mindset," he said, as quoted by the BBC.
"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."
The admission followed the conclusion of court proceedings involving Mohammad Bashir, an accomplice sentenced to life with a minimum of 17 years for conspiring with Al-Shamie to strike the UK’s Defense Academy in Shrivenham. The resolution of Bashir's trial lifted reporting restrictions regarding the case's evidence.
Transcripts from encrypted chat platforms presented in court revealed the pair deliberated over radical ideology and recorded conversations anticipating martyrdom.
Concurrently, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed an ongoing review into every prior interaction between law enforcement and Al-Shamie.
Watchdog officials confirmed they received the unexamined device data from GMP recently and plan to assess whether officers overlooked chances to avert the tragedy.
Recounting the timeline, Sir Stephen noted Al-Shamie was first taken into custody on February 13, 2025, for breaching a court order, and again on September 21, 2025, for alleged rape.
"Regrettably, I can confirm that the significance of the information stored on Al-Shamie's devices was not realized as they had not been examined before the attack took place on October 2, 2025," he said.
Sir Stephen noted there was "little doubt" that the extremist content would have prompted deeper investigation, but the information went unread.