A man has been charged with four terrorism charges after allegedly assisting the Manchester synagogue attacker, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
Mohammad Bashir, 31, has been charged with one offence of preparation of terrorist acts and three offences of sharing terrorist publications with the Manchester synagogue perpetrator, Jihad Al-Shamie.
Bashir is a British national whose self-defined ethnicity is British Pakistani, and was originally arrested on suspicion of commission, preparation and instigation of acts of terrorism in relation to the attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue on Thursday 2 October. He has been released without charge in relation to this.
Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, who holds operational responsibility for Counter Terrorism Policing North West, said: “Following charging authority being granted by the CPS, this morning we have charged Mohammad Asim Bashir with a number of terrorism offences, including preparation for acts of terrorism.
“These charges aren’t directly linked to the terrorist attack which took place at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue but have come as a result of enquiries conducted by our investigation team.
“Bashir has been released without charge in relation to the terrorist attack. However, he has been remanded in custody to appear at Westminster Magistrates Court tomorrow to face the charges authorised today.
“Our investigation into the attack remains live and I would continue to appeal to anyone with information that could potentially be of assistance to please come forward.
“I would also like to once again thank members of the community for their continued patience and support as we conduct our enquiries.”
Frank Ferguson, Chief Crown Prosecutor of the Crown Prosecution Service Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, said:
“Today, we have decided to prosecute Mohammad Bashir with terrorism offences – following a Counter Terrorism Policing North West investigation into his conduct linked to Jihad Al Shamie.
“Our prosecutors have concluded that there is sufficient evidence to charge Mohammad Bashir with one offence of preparation of terrorist acts and three offences of sharing terrorist publications with Al-Shamie and others with the intent to encourage acts of terrorism.
“We have worked closely with Counter Terrorism Policing North West as they carried out their investigation.”
The assistance that Bashir provided and has been charged on was not in relation to the attack on the Manchester Synagogue by Al-Shamie.
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