Two Iranians charged in Britain over terrorist plot against Manchester’s Jewish community on the eve of Yom Kippur

Two Iranian nationals were charged on Friday in Britain with preparing a terrorist attack against the Jewish community in Manchester, on the eve of Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest festival. London’s Metropolitan Police identified the accused as Salam Ahmadyan, 36, from Liverpool, and Rahman Salehi, 34, from Salford, who were arrested on September 20 by counter-terrorism police in Manchester.

The two men are charged with “engaging in conduct in preparation for acts of terrorism,” under section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006, as CNN reports. Counter-terrorism police said they allegedly used encrypted applications to obtain components of an improvised explosive device, received a document with instructions for making a bomb from powdered chlorine and car brake fluid, and collected photographs, plans and maps of possible targets, also carrying out reconnaissance on the ground.

The Times reports that police have also discovered that the accused had been in contact with “a third party abroad who may be in Iran” in connection with the plot. According to the British Home Office, both men had entered Britain on small boats — one in 2020 and the other in 2023; one has been granted asylum, while the other has an application under review.

The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said the charges are “a stark reminder of the threats this country faces from the Iranian regime,” adding that Iran “targets our Jewish communities and seeks to silence critics abroad, often through proxies and criminal networks.” Iran has always denied such accusations. The two accused will appear on Saturday before Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London.

The plot allegedly targeted the first anniversary of the deadly attack on the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester, where on October 2, 2025 an attacker killed two worshippers. The charges also come a day after the arrest of another Iranian national with dual British citizenship, suspected over the plot against RAF Fairford air base in England, which is used by the U.S. military — the British prime minister said there were “strong indications” that Tehran was behind that case, which Iran denied.