Two Iranian men have appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with terrorism offences relating to an alleged conspiracy to attack the Jewish community in Manchester with an improvised explosive device.
Rahman Salehi, 34, from Salford, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, from Liverpool, faced accusations of preparing or assisting an act of terrorism on or before 20 September. Prosecutors allege the pair conducted hostile reconnaissance on several buildings, including the Heaton Park synagogue, which was the site of a fatal attack last year during Yom Kippur services.
Both defendants arrived in the UK via small boat and were apprehended in Manchester’s Northern Quarter on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. They spoke only to confirm their identities through translators before being remanded in custody.
The Metropolitan Police stated that the suspects allegedly obtained instructions for constructing a chlorine bomb and acquired various liquids and components for an improvised explosive device. Investigators believe the men were directed by another Iranian individual currently located in Iran.
Searches were conducted at addresses on Epworth Street in Liverpool and Lancaster Road in Salford as part of the inquiry. The victims of the previous attack on Heaton Park synagogue, Melvin Kravitz and Adrian Daulby, were both British Jews.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described the charges as “deeply distressing” for Manchester’s Jewish community, noting the timing coincides with the one-year anniversary of the synagogue attack. She emphasized the significance of the suspects’ arrival by small boat several years prior, calling it a reminder of the need to address illegal migration.
“We will be unrelenting in our efforts to protect our Jewish communities, root out antisemitism in this country, and maintain our border security,” Mahmood said.
Salehi and Ahmadyan are scheduled to appear at the Old Bailey in London on 23 October.
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