Two Iranian men charged with preparing terrorist acts in an alleged plot targeting the Jewish community in Manchester, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Saturday.
Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, of Liverpool, are charged under Section 5(1) of the (UK) Terrorism Act 2006 with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts on or before Sept. 20.
Neither Salehi nor Ahmadyan entered a plea, and were remanded in custody to next appear at the Old Bailey, London on Oct. 23.
Prosecutors say the pair were preparing an attack on Jewish targets in northern England using a homemade explosive device, at the behest of a figure believed to be based in Iran.
“Both defendants are accused of preparing acts of terrorism targeting the Jewish community in Manchester through the use of a homemade explosive device,” prosecutor Mark Luckett told the court.
The prosecution case alleges that the device was to be made from chlorine and brake fluid, with Investigators saying instructions for assembling it were believed be provided by a third party based abroad.
“It’s assessed that this individual is also an Iranian national and most likely operating from within Iran,” Luckett said.
In his word, the third party is alleged to have directed and coordinated the planning.
According to the prosecution, the men used encrypted messaging applications to try to obtain components and acquired material for building the device, including a document titled “Steps for Making Powder Chlorine and Car Brake Oil/Fluid Bomb” and video instructions for manufacturing an improvised explosive device.
They also gathered liquids and other equipment needed to assemble it.
The men further researched potential targets, collecting images, plans and maps, and carrying out reconnaissance.
Locations identified in the case included the Manchester Jewish Museum and Heaton Park synagogue, where two worshippers were killed in a terrorist attack almost a year ago.
Both men came to Britain from Europe in small boats, the court heard. Salehi arrived in 2020 and had been granted asylum. Ahmadyan arrived in 2023 and his asylum claim was still outstanding.
The two were arrested in Newton Street, Manchester, on Sept. 20, at the start of Yom Kippur, and taken to a police station in London. Warrants of further detention were obtained on Sept. 22 and Sept. 26, allowing police to hold the men until Oct. 4.
Searches at addresses in Epworth Street, Liverpool, and Lancaster Road, Salford, have been completed.
Counter Terrorism Policing said the investigation, conducted with security service partners, had disrupted what officers believed to have been a plot. Police said they do not believe there is any ongoing threat to the public linked to the matter, but that specialist protective security advice was being provided to Jewish communities.
The Crown Prosecution Service said there was sufficient evidence to bring the case and that proceedings are active. The defendants have the right to a fair trial, and no findings have been made against either man.
The case comes during the High Holy Days and close to the anniversary of the Heaton Park attack. It comes amid a significant rise in antisemitism since the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023, including a series of attacks on Jewish sites in London earlier this year.
The Home Secretary for interior minister Shabana Mahmood expressed her thoughts in a statement.
“It is no secret that this country faces a range of serious threats from the Iranian regime.”
“They target our Jewish communities and try to silence their critics overseas, often through proxies and criminal networks to hide their involvement,” she added.
The investigation is not connected to a separate inquiry into a suspected plot to target RAF Fairford, which the US military has used to carry out raids against targets in Iran.
Britain has said Iran was believed to be involved in that plot, in which a dual British-Iranian national was arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts and later released on police bail while inquiries continued. Police have said the Manchester and Fairford investigations are not linked.
Iran has rejected accusations of involvement in plots in Britain in recent years and has said allegations it was connected to the Fairford incident were baseless, according to Reuters report.
