Two Iranians Charged in Alleged Plot to Bomb Manchester Jewish Sites

British authorities have charged two Iranian nationals over an alleged plot to bomb the Jewish community in Manchester.

Rahman Salehi, 34, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday. Prosecutors charged them with preparing acts of terrorism.

Prosecutors said the men conducted surveillance of potential Jewish targets in Manchester, including the Manchester Jewish Museum and the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue.

The synagogue was the site of a terrorist attack on Yom Kippur last year in which two Jewish worshippers, Adrian Daulby and Melvin Cravitz, were killed and three others were seriously injured.

According to prosecutors, Salehi and Ahmadyan researched potential targets online and carried out what authorities described as “hostile” surveillance in person. Prosecutors also accuse the pair of planning to use a homemade chlorine-based explosive device against the Jewish community.

Prosecutor Mark Luckett told the court that the suspects were allegedly in contact with a third individual who helped direct and coordinate the plot and provided instructions for constructing the explosive device.

British authorities believe the third individual is also an Iranian national and is likely operating from inside Iran.

Police arrested the two suspects on September 20, around the beginning of Yom Kippur.

The court heard that both men had entered Britain from Europe aboard small boats. Salehi arrived in 2020 and was later granted asylum, while Ahmadyan arrived in 2023 and his asylum application remains pending.

Neither man entered a plea during Saturday’s hearing. They were remanded in custody and are expected to appear at London’s Old Bailey on October 23.

British Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the country faces serious threats from Iran, accusing the regime of targeting Jewish communities and critics abroad through proxies and criminal networks.

Iran has denied involvement in several alleged plots in Britain in recent years.

British counterterrorism officials said the Manchester case is not connected to a separate investigation into a suspected plot involving RAF Fairford, a British air base used by the US military.