Two Iranians have been charged with terrorism over an alleged plot to attack the Jewish community in Manchester on the eve of Yom Kippur, the latest in a wave of anti-Semitic attacks in the UK this year.
London’s Metropolitan Police named the suspects as Salam Ahmadyan, 36, from Liverpool, and Rahman Salehi, 34, from Salford, who were arrested on September 20, the eve of Judaism’s holiest day, a year after a deadly attack on a synagogue in Manchester. They were charged Friday with “preparatory conduct for terrorist acts,” police said.
Authorities also said the two men are believed to be in contact with a third person who may be in Iran as part of the alleged plot.
“These are extremely serious charges and allegations which result from a joint investigation by CTP (Counter Terror Policing), working closely with our security service partners,” said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator of CTP.
Evans said the investigation helped disrupt what is believed to be a plot targeting the Jewish community, but that authorities do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public related to the attempted attack.
These accusations come a year after a deadly car-ramming and stabbing attack in front of a Manchester synagogue, which killed at least two people. They also come just a day after another Iranian national with dual British nationality was arrested on suspicion of terror offenses linked to an alleged plot to target a British airbase used by the US military in Fairford, west England.
The 25-year-old was arrested in Westminster, London, after British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there were “strong indications” that Iran was involved in the incident – something the Iranian government denied.
Authorities said the airbase incident does not appear to be linked to the latest attempted attack on Manchester’s Jewish community.
“This week has also highlighted some of the wider threats projected onto the UK from Iran,” Evans said. “While this incident and the investigation into the RAF Fairford incident are in no way linked, I would like to reassure the public that the CTP, working with our national security partners, is using the full range of our capabilities to protect the UK from any hostile acts.”
The UK has seen a wave of anti-Semitic attacks this year, including attacks on synagogues and other communal buildings. The British government subsequently announced additional police forces to protect Jewish areas across the country.
“We know how concerning this news will be for Jewish communities in Greater Manchester and beyond,” said Greater Manchester Deputy Chief Police Officer Terry Woods. “We know this is particularly serious on the anniversary of last year’s terrorist atrocities at Heaton Park Synagogue and during the High Jewish Holidays. »
Woods said “continued and robust” policing plans in Jewish communities would remain in place as authorities work closely with community leaders and British counter-terrorism police.
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