Iranian suspects 'planned to use home-made bomb' to attack Jews in Britain

Two Iranian men, Rahman Salehi, 34, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, have appeared in a British court in connection with an alleged plot to use a homemade bomb to target Jewish communities in Manchester. The pair are accused of plotting acts of terrorism at the behest of an individual believed to be based in Iran. Prosecutors claim the suspects carried out surveillance on potential targets, including the Manchester Jewish Museum and Heaton Park synagogue, the site of a deadly attack last year that left two Jewish worshippers dead.

Mark Luckett, prosecutor for Westminster Magistrates Court, stated that both defendants are alleged to have prepared acts of terrorism against the Jewish community through the use of a homemade explosive device. They were apprehended shortly after the start of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish faith. Upon their court appearance in London, they were held in custody until their next hearing on October 23, during which they failed to enter a plea.

A third person is suspected of directing the attack planning and providing instructions on assembling a homemade device, which prosecutors believe would have been constructed from chlorine and brake fluid. This individual is also believed to be an Iranian national, likely operating within Iran. Both suspects arrived in Britain from Europe via small boats; Salehi entered in 2020 and was granted asylum, while Ahmadyan arrived in 2023 with his asylum claim still pending.

The case follows recent allegations that Iran was involved in a suspected plot to attack the RAF Fairford airbase, used by the US military for raids against targets in Iran. A British-Iranian national was arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts but has since been released on police bail. British counter-terrorism police clarified that the Manchester allegations are not connected to the RAF Fairford investigation.

Iran has consistently denied involvement in various plots in Britain and dismissed claims of its link to the Fairford incident as baseless.