Greater Manchester Police has apologised after admitting officers did not examine key data from the phones of the man later identified as the Heaton Park synagogue attacker. The attacker, Jihad al-Shamie (also reported as Jihad Al-Shamie), had his devices seized before the attack, but Greater Manchester chief constable Sir Stephen Watson says crucial information on those phones was not reviewed in time. In a statement, Watson acknowledges what he describes as a “missed opportunity,” explaining that police did not fully pursue the evidence available from the seized devices before the attack occurred. Multiple outlets report that the force’s admission comes as police address shortcomings in how intelligence and digital material were handled prior to the incident. The reports describe the apology as an acknowledgement of investigative and procedural failure, rather than attributing responsibility to a specific individual. The incident focuses on the handling of the attacker’s phone devices prior to the attack on the synagogue in Manchester.