UK charges 2 Iranian men over alleged Yom Kippur terror plot in Manchester
By Hira Humayun, CNN
(CNN) — Two Iranian men have been charged with terror offenses over an alleged plot to attack the Jewish community in Manchester on the eve of Yom Kippur, the latest in a wave of antisemitic attacks in the UK this year.
London’s Metropolitan police named the suspects as 36-year-old Salam Ahmadyan of Liverpool and 34-year-old Rahman Salehi of Salford, who were arrested on September 20, on the eve of the holiest day in Judaism, a year after a deadly synagogue attack in Manchester. They were charged on Friday with “engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts,” police said.
Authorities also said the two men are allegedly in contact with a third person who may be in Iran in relation to the alleged plot.
“These are extremely serious charges and allegations and have come about from a joint CTP (Counter Terror Policing) investigation, working closely with our partners in the security services,” said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for CTP.
Evans said the investigation helped disrupt what is believed to have been a plot targeting the Jewish community, but that authorities do not believe there to be an ongoing threat to the public related to the attempted attack.
The charges come a year after a deadly car ramming and stabbing attack outside a Manchester synagogue killed at least two people. They also come just a day after another Iranian national with dual British citizenship was arrested on suspicion of terror offenses linked to an alleged plot to target a UK airbase used by the US military in Fairford, western England.
The 25-year-old was arrested in Westminster, London, after UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there are “strong indications” Iran was involved in the incident – something the Iranian government has denied.
Authorities have said the airbase incident is not believed to be connected with the latest attempted attack on Manchester’s Jewish community.
“This week also brought into sharp focus some of the wider threats being projected into the UK from Iran,” Evans said. “While this incident and the investigation into the RAF Fairford incident are not connected in any way, I want to reassure the public that CTP, working with our national security partners, are using the full range of our capabilities to protect the UK from any hostile acts.”
The UK has seen a wave of antisemitic attacks this year, including assaults on synagogues and other communal buildings. The British government subsequently announced extra police forces to protect Jewish areas across the country.
“We know how concerning this news will be to Jewish communities in Greater Manchester, and beyond,” Greater Manchester Police Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods said. “We know this is particularly acute on the calendar anniversary of last year’s terrorist atrocity at the Heaton Park synagogue, and during the Jewish High Holy Days.”
Woods said the “ongoing and robust” policing plans across Jewish communities would remain in place as authorities work closely with community leaders and British Counter-Terrorism Police.
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