UK charges two Iranian nationals over alleged plot against Manchester Jewish community
In short
British police on Friday charged two Iranian nationals with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts over an alleged plot targeting the Jewish community in Manchester. A prosecutor told Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday that the two had scouted the Heaton Park synagogue and the Jewish Museum in Cheetham Hill, and that a person believed to be in Iran gave instructions on making a homemade chlorine bomb. Neither entered a plea, and a judge ordered them held until Oct. 23; police said they do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public.
Why it matters
The case comes a year after the Oct. 2, 2025, attack on the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester, which killed two people on Yom Kippur, and officials said the news would deepen concern among Jewish communities already facing what police described as increasing antisemitic incidents. Police said the alleged plot is not connected to a separate security incident near RAF Fairford, where five British nationals were arrested and Iran has denied involvement, so the two strands feed separate inquiries. The immigration status of the suspects, raised by the home minister, also touches the UK debate over small-boat crossings.
Key facts
- British police charged Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, of Liverpool, both Iranian nationals, with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Prosecutors said the two conducted reconnaissance of the Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester and the Jewish Museum in nearby Cheetham Hill. [ 3 ]
- Prosecutor Mark Luckett said a third person believed to be in Iran directed the plans and provided instructions on making a homemade chlorine bomb. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Neither man entered a plea at Westminster Magistrates' Court; Judge Nina Tempia ordered them held until an Oct. 23 appearance at the Central Criminal Court in London. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Police said the men were arrested in Manchester on Sept. 20, on the eve of Yom Kippur, and that locations connected to them were searched in Liverpool and Salford. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans said police do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public in relation to the matter. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Police said the Manchester case is not connected in any way to the incident near RAF Fairford, where five British nationals were arrested and a dual U.K.-Iranian national was arrested Thursday; Iran has denied involvement. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Two Iranian nationals were charged Friday with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts over an alleged plot targeting the Jewish community in Manchester. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The suspects are Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, of Liverpool. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- The two were arrested in Manchester on Sept. 20, on the eve of Yom Kippur. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Police said the two were allegedly in contact with an overseas third party who may be in Iran. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- Neither man entered a plea, and a judge ordered them held until Oct. 23 at the Central Criminal Court in London. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Police said they do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public in relation to the matter. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The alleged plot follows the Oct. 2, 2025, attack on the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester, in which two people died. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the overseas third party was in Iran and whether Iranian authorities directed the alleged plot Police say only that the third party may be in Iran; the documents report no confirmation, and Iran's denial of involvement in the separate RAF Fairford incident does not cover this case.
- The full text of the counterterrorism policing statement on the Manchester investigation One document's account of Vicki Evans's statement is cut off mid-sentence.
- The precise immigration history of the two suspects A court account says they entered the U.K. without authorization in the past six years by boat, with Salehi granted asylum and Ahmadyan's claim pending, while the home minister is cited as saying both arrived by small boat several years ago without giving dates.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- NBC News reports British police have charged two Iranian nationals over an alleged plot against the Jewish community in Manchester. [ 1 ]
- UPI reports the two were arrested in Manchester on Sept. 20 and are due at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Oct. 3. [ 2 ]
- A prosecutor tells Westminster Magistrates' Court the two scouted the Heaton Park synagogue and the Jewish Museum in Cheetham Hill. [ 3 ]
- CBS News reports neither suspect entered a plea and the judge ordered them held until Oct. 23. [ 4 ]