Two charged over alleged Manchester synagogue bomb plot appear in court
Two Iranian nationals accused of preparing a bomb attack on the Jewish community in Manchester were remanded in custody after appearing before Westminster Magistrates' Court.
Two Iranian nationals charged with preparing acts of terrorism over an alleged attack on the Jewish community in Manchester appeared before Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday.
Salam Ahmadyan, 36, and Rahman Salehi, 34, were arrested on September 20, the eve of Yom Kippur, and were charged with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts. Prosecutor Mark Luckett told the court: "Both defendants are accused of preparing acts of terrorism targeting the Jewish community in Manchester through the use of a homemade explosive device."
The men were observed carrying out what the prosecution described as hostile reconnaissance of Manchester's Jewish community, identifying attempted targets including the Manchester Jewish Museum and the Heaton Park synagogue. Heaton Park was attacked on Yom Kippur last year, when Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, drove a car into the synagogue gates and launched a knife attack while wearing a fake suicide belt. Worshippers Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were killed, three other men were seriously wounded, and Al-Shamie was shot dead by police.
Both defendants are accused of preparing acts of terrorism targeting the Jewish community in Manchester through the use of a homemade explosive device.Mark Luckett, for the prosecution
Luckett said the pair were alleged to be in contact with a third party who directed and coordinated the planned attack and provided instructions on how to assemble a homemade explosive device. "It's assessed that this individual is also an Iranian national and most likely operating from within Iran," he said. Prosecutors alleged the device would have been made from chlorine and brake fluid.
The Times reported that the men were also alleged to have used encrypted messaging apps to communicate, to have acquired a document entitled "Steps for Making [a] Powder Chlorine and Car Brake Oil/Fluid Bomb", and to have obtained video instructions on manufacturing an improvised explosive device, along with images, plans and maps of potential targets.
The court was told both men came to Britain from Europe in small boats. Reuters reported that Salehi, who arrived in 2020, had been granted asylum, while Ahmadyan, who arrived in 2023, had an asylum claim still outstanding. The Times reported that Salehi, of Salford, had previously sought asylum in Germany before travelling to Britain and was granted indefinite leave to remain in 2023, while Ahmadyan is of Liverpool. The men spoke through interpreters to confirm their names, dates of birth and addresses.
Neither man entered a plea. District Judge Nina Tempia remanded both in custody until a hearing at the Old Bailey on October 23.
The case comes a week after Britain said Iran was believed to be involved in a suspected plot to target the RAF Fairford air base in Gloucestershire, which the United States military has used for operations against targets in Iran. Police have stressed the Manchester case and the Fairford investigation are not connected. Counter-terrorism police face heightened concern after a series of antisemitic attacks this year, and Laurence Taylor, the head of counter-terrorism policing, said in a statement marking a year since the 2025 synagogue attack: "We continue to see antisemitic sentiment appearing with increasing frequency."
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