Two Iranian men are accused of planning an attack in Manchester on or before Yom Kippur.
Published on October 3, 2026
British authorities have accused two Iranian nationals of planning an attack on the Jewish community in northern England.
The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Friday that Rahman Salehi, 34, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, were charged with “preparing to commit or assisting another to commit an act of terrorism” in Manchester “on or before” Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, which began at sunset on September 20.
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“It is alleged that the two men were in contact with a foreign third party who may be in Iran in connection with the plot,” police said in a separate statement on Friday.
Details of the alleged plot have not been released, but police have confirmed its “disruption”.
Counterterrorism police said Salehi and Ahmadyan, both arrested in Manchester on September 20, allegedly attempted to acquire components and equipment to make an improvised explosive device and carried out reconnaissance on potential attack targets.
Both men will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Saturday, the CPS said.
Interior Minister Shabana Mahmood said Salehi and Ahmadyan arrived in the UK on a small boat from Europe several years ago. One of the men was granted asylum and the other applied for asylum, the Interior Ministry said.
“It is no secret that this country faces a series of serious threats from the Iranian regime,” she said in a statement.
“They target our Jewish communities and attempt to silence their critics abroad, often through proxies and criminal networks to hide their involvement,” she added.
Iran has denied similar accusations.
The charges come a year after two people were killed in a stabbing and shooting attack by a British citizen of Syrian origin at the Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Heaton Park, north Manchester, on October 2, 2025.
Increased tensions
“I am aware that news of this alleged plot which occurred during the High Holy Days period has caused considerable concern within the Jewish community, as well as the general public,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, senior national co-ordinator for counter-terrorism policing, said on Friday.
“It also coincides with the anniversary of last year’s devastating terrorist attack on Heaton Park Synagogue and comes against a wider backdrop of growing anti-Semitic incidents across the UK. »
Detectives said there was no link between the charges laid on Friday and the alleged plot involving RAF Fairford air base, for which a British and Iranian national was arrested on Thursday, according to the Reuters news agency.
Britain said Tehran was involved in an alleged plot earlier this week targeting an air base used by the United States to launch attacks against Iran.
Iran has denied involvement in the RAF Fairford plot and said the speculation would “fuel Iranophobic propaganda”.
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