A man investigated for suspected links to the Manchester synagogue attack was charged Thursday with four terrorism offences not “directly” related to the atrocity, English prosecutors announced.
Mohammad Bashir, 31, arrested a week ago, will not face charges over the October 2 car ramming and knife assault, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
However, he will be prosecuted for having allegedly driven the perpetrator Jihad al-Shamie to a British “defence location” to conduct “hostile reconnaissance”.
He will also be prosecuted for having allegedly shared material online intending to encourage terrorism, the CPS added.
They said they had concluded there was “sufficient evidence” to charge Bashir with one offence of preparing terrorist acts and three counts of sharing terrorist publications with al-Shamie and others. He is due in Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday for a first hearing.