Two Iranian Nationals Charged in Alleged Manchester Plot Against Jewish Community
British authorities have charged Rahman Salehi, 34, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, with preparing acts of terrorism aimed at the Jewish community in Manchester.
The charges allege preparation to commit, or helping another person to commit, an act of terrorism in Manchester on or before Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur is the holiest day in Judaism, a day of fasting and prayer. Both men are Iranian nationals. Both were arrested in Manchester on September 20. Yom Kippur began at sundown that day.
Prosecutors allege the men tried to obtain parts and equipment to make an improvised explosive device, a homemade bomb. They also allege the men carried out reconnaissance, meaning advance scouting of possible targets. Police further allege the men were in contact about the plot with an overseas third party who may be in Iran, according to Al Jazeera.
Salehi and Ahmadyan were due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court in London on Saturday, October 3. First hearings in terrorism cases are often held in that specialist London court, even when the alleged plot was in another part of England.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the two men arrived in the United Kingdom by small boat from Europe several years ago. The Home Office said one man had been granted asylum and the other had a claim still under review. Asylum is legal permission to remain for protection. Those details connect the case to the asylum system and to irregular Channel crossings.
The public timeline was compressed. Counterterrorism police announced on September 22 that two people had been arrested in an investigation into a suspected plot targeting the Jewish community, according to Reuters. Police then announced on October 2 that two men had been charged with engaging in conduct in preparation of acts of terrorism targeting the Jewish community.
Manchester was also the focus of a separate case that has already been decided. Two brothers and a third man were convicted over a foiled plot intended to target Jews in the city. Two men received life sentences and a third was jailed in February, according to Counter Terrorism Policing. That earlier case was described as an ISIS-inspired plot planned by Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein.
The earlier case involved ISIS-inspired planning. The new allegation involves Iranian nationals and an alleged overseas contact who may be in Iran. The charges are unproven. A court will test whether the alleged contact, scouting, and attempt to obtain bomb-making materials meet the legal test for preparation under British terrorism law.
The broader context here is what investigators and diplomats will watch next. If evidence points to direction or encouragement from inside Iran, that would carry different diplomatic weight than encouragement from a non-state group. It would also bring attention to vetting and monitoring of asylum holders and applicants, without prejudging this prosecution. For Jewish communities in northern England, Manchester being named again so soon after life sentences in the earlier case raises practical questions about target choice, holiday timing, and security around high holy days.
In my view, three threads will shape the significance. First, what prosecutors disclose about the overseas contact. Second, what the court hears about capability, including how far the alleged effort to get explosive parts progressed. Third, how the government handles a live trial alongside public statements on asylum and small-boat arrivals. Each step will unfold under strict reporting rules. Conviction requires proof. Allegation is not finding.
