Two Iranians Charged in UK with Plotting Bomb Attack on Jewish Community

Two Iranian nationals, Rahman Salehi, 34, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, appeared in an English court over an alleged plot to use a home-made bomb to attack Jewish people in Manchester.

Prosecutors allege the pair carried out hostile surveillance on potential Jewish targets, including the Manchester Jewish Museum and Heaton Park synagogue. Mark Luckett, the prosecutor, stated that both defendants are accused of preparing acts of terrorism targeting the Jewish community through a home-made explosive device. A third person is suspected of directing the attack planning and providing instructions on how to assemble a device from chlorine and brake fluid.

The two men were arrested last month on September 20, the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. They were charged on Friday, October 2, with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts. Neither entered a plea during their appearance in Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday, October 3, and they were remanded in custody until their next hearing on October 23 at the Central Criminal Court in London.

Salehi was granted asylum in the United Kingdom in 2023, having arrived by boat in 2020 after previously claiming asylum in Germany. Ahmadyan arrived by a small boat in 2023 and has an outstanding asylum claim. Heaton Park synagogue was the site of a deadly attack a year ago, on October 2, 2025, where two Jewish worshippers were killed.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood described the news as deeply distressing for Jewish communities, especially in Manchester. Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator of counterterror policing, said the plot was believed to be isolated and posed no ongoing public threat.