Two Iranian men have appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court charged with terror offences over an alleged plot to target the Jewish community in Manchester with a homemade bomb. Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, of Liverpool, are accused of preparing to commit an act of terrorism or assisting another to do so on or before 20 September.
The Metropolitan Police said the men are alleged to have obtained instructions to make a chlorine bomb and acquired liquids and other components for an improvised explosive device. Prosecutors told the court they carried out hostile reconnaissance within Manchester’s Jewish community, identifying potential targets including the Jewish Museum and Heaton Park Synagogue.
Reconnaissance at Heaton Park
Heaton Park Synagogue is the site of last year’s Yom Kippur attack, in which two British Jews, Melvin Kravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were killed. Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, drove into the gates of the synagogue during the service and began attacking people with a knife while wearing a fake suicide belt.
Both defendants arrived in the UK by small boat, in 2020 and 2023 respectively. Salehi previously claimed asylum in Germany and spent five years there before being granted asylum in the UK in 2023, with leave to remain until July 2028. His co-accused has an outstanding asylum claim.
The court heard the men were directed and co-ordinated by another Iranian individual most likely operating from within Iran. They spoke only through Kurdish and Farsi translators to confirm their names, dates of birth and addresses.
Small-boat arrivals and border security
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the charges would be deeply distressing to Manchester’s Jewish community as the city marked the first anniversary of the Heaton Park attack. She said the fact both suspects arrived by small boat several years ago was a reminder of the importance of tackling illegal migration, and added the government would be unrelenting in protecting Jewish communities and maintaining border security.
ADVERTISEMENT
Searches were carried out at addresses in Epworth Street in Liverpool and Lancaster Road in Salford as part of the investigation.
Why it matters
The case lands in Manchester almost exactly a year after the Heaton Park attack and, for a community still recovering from it, the detail that the alleged reconnaissance included the same synagogue will be deeply unsettling. Prosecutors say the two men researched targets online, acquiring images, plans and maps, which suggests planning of some sophistication rather than an isolated impulse.
It is also being used by the Home Secretary as a live argument for border policy, with the small-boat arrivals placed at the centre of the government’s messaging. That framing draws criticism for shifting attention onto migration status rather than the alleged foreign direction of the plot, which the court heard was most likely coming from inside Iran.
What happens next
Salehi and Ahmadyan were remanded in custody by District Judge Nina Tempia until 23 October, when they are due to appear at the Old Bailey in London. Police had been given more time to question the suspects, and the investigation remains open, with further searches and evidential work expected before the case goes before a judge and jury.
We do not allow links of any sort in comments. No SPAM whatsoever. On topic comments only.