Two Iranian men charged over alleged Manchester terror plot targeting Jewish community

Two Iranian men have been charged in connection with an alleged terror plot targeting Manchester's Jewish community. Rahman Salehi, 35, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, face charges of preparing to commit an act of terrorism or assisting another to commit an act of terrorism, according to The Guardian. They are scheduled to appear at Westminster magistrates court on 3 October.

The pair were arrested on 20 September in Newton Street, in the Northern Quarter area of Manchester city centre, on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. They were detained under section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 and held in custody at a London police station, with counter-terrorism officers granted more time to question them.

Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, said the charges followed a joint investigation with security services partners, and that the inquiry had disrupted what police believe was a plot targeting the Jewish community in Manchester. The Metropolitan police, which is leading the case, said searches were also carried out at properties on Epworth Street in Liverpool and Lancaster Road in Salford. Evans said the case was not connected to the RAF Fairford incident, but described both as examples of wider threats projected into the UK from Iran.

Frank Ferguson, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's special crime and counter-terrorism division, said prosecutors had established sufficient evidence to bring the case to court, and reminded the public that proceedings are active and the defendants have a right to a fair trial. He said authorities understood the case may cause concern, particularly as the arrests came on the eve of Yom Kippur, and assured the Jewish community that their safety and that of the wider public is the highest priority.

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood described the events as a stark reminder of threats from terrorists and foreign state actors, and said the news would be deeply distressing for Jewish communities so soon after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. She noted both suspects arrived by small boat several years ago, calling it a reminder of the need to tackle illegal migration, and said she knew the impact would be especially felt in Manchester as the city marks a year since the attack at Heaton Park Synagogue.

Last year, Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, was shot dead by armed police after launching a terror attack during Yom Kippur at the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester. Two men were killed in that attack, Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, while three others were injured.