Iranian nationals face charges over alleged plot targeting Manchester’s Jewish community

Updated 4 min 50 sec ago

October 3, 2026 01:34

LONDON: Two Iranian nationals have been charged with plotting a terror attack on the Jewish community in Manchester, UK police announced Friday.

The charges follow a deadly knife and gun assault on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in northern Manchester nearly a year ago, when worshippers were gathered for Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Two people were killed in that attack on 2 October 2025.

• Police say the two men were allegedly in contact with an overseas third‑party “who may be in Iran” in relation to the plot.
• The arrests come a year after the fatal synagogue attack in northern Manchester.

The two men, identified as Salam Ahmadyan, 36, of Liverpool, and Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford, were detained in Manchester on Sunday, 20 September, according to a police statement released Friday.

“It is alleged that the two men were in contact with an overseas third‑party who may be in Iran in relation to the plot,” the statement added.

Details of the alleged plot have not been disclosed, but police say they have disrupted the operation.

“We do not believe there to be any ongoing threat to the public in relation to this matter,” said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans. “We would ask that people remain vigilant and contact police with any concerns.”

London has seen several attacks over the past year targeting Jewish or Israel‑linked locations.

The two men are scheduled to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.

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