Two men charged over alleged Iran-linked plot targeting Manchester Jewish community

Two Iranian nationals have been charged in Britain over an alleged plot to carry out a terrorist attack targeting Manchester’s Jewish community.

Rahman Salehi, 34, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court after being charged with preparing to commit, or assisting another person to commit, an act of terrorism.

Prosecutors allege that the men carried out surveillance of potential Jewish targets in Manchester, including the Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue and the Jewish Museum in nearby Cheetham Hill.

The Heaton Park synagogue was the site of a deadly attack during Yom Kippur in October 2025, when two Jewish worshippers were killed. The latest allegations have therefore heightened concerns within the city’s Jewish community.

According to prosecutors, the alleged plot involved a homemade explosive device. The court heard that the suspects were allegedly in contact with a third person believed to be an Iranian national operating from Iran.

That person is accused of directing the alleged operation and providing instructions on how to assemble a homemade device using chlorine and brake fluid.

The two men were arrested in September and are alleged to have conducted what prosecutors described as “hostile” surveillance of potential targets.

Both suspects entered Britain from Europe by small boats, according to the prosecution. Salehi arrived in the UK in 2020 and was later granted asylum, while Ahmadyan arrived in 2023 and had an outstanding asylum application.

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Neither man entered a plea during the court hearing. They were remanded in custody and are due to appear at the Old Bailey on October 23.

British authorities have stressed that the alleged Manchester plot is not connected to a separate investigation involving suspected terrorist activity near RAF Fairford, the airbase used by the United States military.

The Fairford investigation began after five British men were arrested near the base, while a British-Iranian dual national was also arrested separately. All remain part of an ongoing investigation.

Iran has rejected accusations of involvement in alleged plots in Britain.

The Manchester case comes amid heightened British security concerns over alleged Iranian activity against Jewish communities and Iranian dissidents overseas. British authorities have also reported an increase in antisemitic incidents since the October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.

(Reuters)