Two Iranian men are accused of preparing to carry out an attack in Manchester on or before Yom Kippur. Posted on October 3, 2026 October 3, 2026 Two Iranian nationals accused of planning an attack on the Jewish community in northern England appeared before a London court. The U.K. Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said on Friday that Rahman Salehi, 34, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, were charged with “preparing to commit or assisting another to commit an act of terrorism” in Manchester “on or before” Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, which began at dusk on September 20. His next hearing is set at London’s Old Bailey court for October 23. “The two men are alleged to have been in contact with a foreign third party who may be in Iran in connection with the plot,” police said in a separate statement on Friday. Details of the alleged plot have not been revealed, but police have confirmed its “disorder.” Counter-terrorism police said Salehi and Ahmadyan, both arrested in Manchester on September 20, allegedly attempted to procure components and equipment to make an improvised explosive device and carried out reconnaissance of potential attack targets. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said Salehi and Ahmadyan arrived in the UK on a small boat from Europe several years ago. One of the men had been granted asylum and the other had a live asylum claim, the Home Office said. “It is no secret that this country faces a number of serious threats from the Iranian regime,” he said in a statement. “They target our Jewish communities and attempt to silence their critics abroad, often through proxies and criminal networks to hide their involvement,” he added. Iran has denied similar accusations. The charges come a year after two people were killed in a knife and gun attack by a British national of Syrian descent in Heaton Park. Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in north Manchester on October 2, 2025. Tensions rise “I am aware that news of this alleged plot which occurred during the High Holiday period has caused great concern in the Jewish community as well as the general public,” Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, senior national co-ordinator for counter-terrorism policing, said on Friday. “It also coincides with the anniversary of last year’s devastating terrorist attack at Heaton Park Synagogue and comes against a wider backdrop of anti-Semitic incidents across the UK.” Detectives said there was no connection between Friday’s charges and the alleged plot involving RAF Fairford airbase, for which a dual British-Iranian national was arrested on Thursday, according to the Reuters news agency. Britain said Tehran had been involved in an alleged plot earlier this week against an air base used by the United States to launch attacks against Iran. Iran denied any involvement in the RAF Fairford plot and said the speculation would “fuel Iranophobia propaganda”.
