UK court remands two Iranians over alleged antisemitic terror plot in Manchester

Two Iranian nationals have been remanded in custody by a London court after being charged with plotting terrorist acts against the UK’s Jewish community. The men, Rahman S., 34, and Salam A., 36, appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday and were ordered to be held until their next hearing at the Old Bailey on October 23.

The pair were detained on September 20, the eve of Yom Kippur. According to prosecutor Mark Luckett, they carried out “hostile reconnaissance” on Jewish targets in Manchester, including the Manchester Jewish Museum and Heaton Park synagogue. The suspects allegedly planned to use a homemade explosive device, with instructions on making it from chlorine and brake fluid provided by a third party, an Iranian national believed to be operating from within Iran.

Investigation details and public reassurance

The men used online resources such as images, plans, and maps to identify and research attack sites. They arrived in Britain in small boats crossing the English Channel from mainland Europe; one was granted asylum, while the other’s application is pending. The case came to light on Friday when the two were charged, days after another terror plot was foiled at RAF Fairford, which UK authorities linked to Iran.

Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator of counterterror policing, said the Manchester plot was “not connected in any way” to the RAF Fairford incident. She added that the plot was believed to be isolated and there was no ongoing threat to the public. The arrests come a year after two Jewish worshippers were killed in a knife attack at Heaton Park synagogue.

In the RAF Fairford case, a dual British-Iranian national arrested on Thursday was released on police bail on Saturday, becoming the sixth person bailed in that investigation. Police said the other five men held were all British nationals in their 20s from London. The plot was uncovered when a farmer spotted suspicious white vans near the base early Sunday morning; officers found petrol inside the vans but no explosives. Tehran has rejected accusations of targeting RAF Fairford, which is used by US bombers to strike Iran.