Two Iranian nationals, Salam Ahmadyan (36) and Rahman Salehi (34), have been charged in Britain over an alleged plot to attack Manchester's Jewish community and were remanded until an Oct. 23 hearing. Police say the suspects communicated with an overseas third party, possibly in Iran, who allegedly provided instructions to construct a homemade chlorine bomb. Authorities stressed there is no known ongoing public threat, while the case echoes last year’s deadly Oct. 2, 2025 attack at Heaton Park Synagogue. Related counterterrorism arrests near RAF Fairford and in London remain under investigation.
Two Iranian Nationals Charged Over Alleged Plot Targeting Manchester Jewish Community
U.K. police accuse 2 Iranian men of planning terror attack on Jewish community
British police have charged two Iranian nationals with allegedly plotting an attack against Manchester's Jewish community, authorities announced Friday. The men appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday and were remanded in custody until an Oct. 23 hearing at the Central Criminal Court in London.
Details Of The Case
In a Metropolitan Police news release, officers identified the suspects as Salam Ahmadyan, 36, of Liverpool, and Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford. Both were arrested in Manchester on Sept. 20 and have been charged in connection with an alleged plot to target the local Jewish community.
Police say the two men were in contact with an overseas third party — who may be in Iran — and that the third party is alleged to have provided instructions on how to construct a homemade chlorine bomb. Authorities emphasized there is no current intelligence suggesting an ongoing threat to the public.
"We do not believe there to be any ongoing threat to the public in relation to this matter,"
Context And Reactions
The arrests come almost a year after a deadly knife-and-gun attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in northern Manchester on Oct. 2, 2025, when worshippers had gathered for Yom Kippur. Two people were killed in that attack.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood: "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."
Mahmood also noted that both suspects "arrived by small boat several years ago," a detail she used to stress the government’s focus on tackling illegal migration. Media reports say Salehi has been granted asylum while Ahmadyan has a pending asylum claim.
The arrests are reported alongside other recent counterterrorism activity in the U.K., including the Sept. 27 detention of five British men near RAF Fairford on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act and the arrest of a 25-year-old dual U.K.-Iranian national in London on suspicion of plotting an attack near the same base; those suspects were later released on bail.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham: "The government believes Iran played a part" in a related Sept. 27 incident; Iran has denied involvement.
Next Steps
The two men did not enter pleas at their initial hearing and remain in custody ahead of the Central Criminal Court appearance on Oct. 23. Investigations by U.K. counterterrorism units and inquiries into possible overseas links are ongoing.
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