Two Iranian men have been formally charged with plotting a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community in Manchester, British police announced on Friday. The suspects appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, where they did not enter a plea. The presiding judge ordered both men to remain in custody until their next scheduled appearance at the Central Criminal Court in London on October 23. These arrests arrive nearly a year after a tragic knife and gun assault on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue located in northern Manchester. That earlier attack occurred on October 2, 2025, while worshipers gathered to observe Yom Kippur, claiming the lives of two individuals. According to a news release from the U.K. Metropolitan Police, 36-year-old Salam Ahmadyan of Liverpool and 34-year-old Rahman Salehi of Salford were taken into custody in Manchester on September 20. Both suspects are Iranian nationals. Law enforcement officials stated that the pair allegedly communicated with an overseas third party potentially located in Iran regarding the execution of the plot. Reports from the Associated Press indicated that this third party supplied instructions for building a homemade chlorine bomb. Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans noted in an official statement that authorities do not believe any active or ongoing threat to the public remains connected to this situation. British Home Minister Shabana Mahmood also addressed the development, expressing that the news would deeply distress Jewish communities shortly after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. She emphasized that the impact would hit especially close to home in Manchester as the area marks one year since the synagogue tragedy. Mahmood further pointed out that both suspects had entered the country via small boats several years prior, highlighting the ongoing focus on tackling illegal migration. Court records show that Salehi was granted asylum while Ahmadyan maintains a pending asylum claim. Over the past year, the British capital and surrounding regions have experienced multiple security threats directed at Jewish or Israel-linked locations. This latest case also follows a separate incident on September 27, when five British men in their mid-20s were arrested near the RAF Fairford air base in England on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. That military base has served as a launch point for American bombers operating against Iran during Middle East conflicts. Those five individuals were later released on bail. Additionally, British authorities detained a dual U.K.-Iranian national on Thursday on suspicion of plotting an attack at the same air base, though it remains unconfirmed if that suspect shares any ties to the Manchester investigation. U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that the government believes Iran played a role in the September 27 incident, a claim that the Iranian government has consistently denied.
Source: cbsnews.com
