British prosecutors indicted on Friday two Iranian men who were arrested last month in Manchester on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack on local Jews.
Rahman Salehi, 35, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, were charged with preparing to commit an act of terrorism or assisting another to commit an act of terrorism on or before Sep. 20, 2026, the Crown Prosecution Service wrote in a statement.
During a court appearance Saturday at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, the Metropolitan Police alleged the two men obtained instructions to make a chlorine bomb and acquired liquids and other components to make an improvised explosive device, LBC radio reported. Another court appearance has been scheduled for Oct. 23
Salehi, who was granted asylum in the United Kingdom in 2023, arrived in the country by boat in 2020, having previously claimed asylum in Germany and spent five years there, he told the court, according to LBC.
The radio station also reported that Ahmadyan arrived by a small boat in 2023 and has an outstanding asylum claim.
Both men are also accused of identifying and researching potential targets, acquiring images, plans and maps of potential targets and conducting reconnaissance of potential locations for attack, including Heaton Park synagogue. A jihadist terrorist attack there last year ended with three fatalities, including the killer.
Police searched at addresses in Liverpool and Salford as part of the investigation, LBC reported.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said of the terror plot: “This news will be deeply distressing for our Jewish communities, coming so soon after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. I know this will be especially true in Manchester, as we mark one year since the terrorist attack at Heaton Park Synagogue.”
The fact both suspects arrived by small boat several years ago, she added, “is a reminder of the importance of our relentless work to tackle illegal migration into this country. While numbers are down, I know there is more we must do.”
The alleged plot involving the two Iranians does not pose an ongoing threat to the public, according to Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans.
“While this incident and the investigation into the RAF Fairford incident are not connected in any way, I want to reassure the public that CTP [counter-terrorism police] working with our national security partners, are using the full range of our capabilities to protect the U.K. from any hostile acts,” her statement continued..
Police arrested five men last week near the Fairford Royal Air Force base on suspicion they were planning an attack there.
