Two Iranian men have been charged with planning an attack against the Jewish community in Manchester, England, on or before Yom Kippur. The UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced on Friday that Rahman Salehi, 34, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, face charges of 'preparing to commit or assisting another to commit an act of terrorism.' Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, began at sundown on September 20.
According to police, it is alleged that the two men were in contact with an overseas third party, potentially located in Iran, regarding the plot. Specific details about the plot have not been disclosed, but police confirmed that it has been disrupted. Counterterrorism police reported that Salehi and Ahmadyan, who were arrested in Manchester on September 20, allegedly attempted to acquire components and equipment to create an improvised explosive device and conducted reconnaissance on potential targets.
The pair is scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Saturday. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood stated that Salehi and Ahmadyan arrived in the UK several years ago via a small boat from Europe, with one having been granted asylum and the other having a pending asylum claim. Mahmood noted that the UK faces serious threats from the Iranian regime, which she claims targets Jewish communities and seeks to silence critics through proxies and criminal networks.
These charges come a year after a deadly attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, where two individuals were killed. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator for counterterrorism policing, acknowledged the concern this alleged plot has caused within the Jewish community and the wider public, particularly given its timing during the High Holy Day period and the anniversary of the previous attack.
Detectives have stated that there is no connection between these charges and a separate suspected plot involving the RAF Fairford air base, where a dual UK-Iranian national was arrested on Thursday. The UK government has accused Tehran of involvement in that plot, which Iran has denied, claiming that such speculation contributes to 'Iranophobia propaganda.'