Facing charges of terror plotting, two Iranian citizens attended a London court on Saturday charged with plotting a homemade bomb attack against northern England’s Jewish community, directed by someone thought to reside in Iran.
On September 20, as Yom Kippur began, 34-year-old Rahman Salehi and 36-year-old Salam Ahmadyan were taken into custody. Prosecutors allege the men carried out “hostile” surveillance on potential Jewish targets in Manchester, including the Manchester Jewish Museum and the Heaton Park synagogue.
During the hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Prosecutor Mark Luckett stated that the two men face accusations of preparing terrorist acts aimed at Manchester’s Jewish community utilizing an improvised explosive device. The court heard the men were in contact with a third party who is alleged to have directed and coordinated the attack planning and provided instructions on how to assemble a homemade device, which prosecutors allege would have been made from chlorine and brake fluid.
Court Details and Asylum Statuses Revealed
The proceedings at Westminster Magistrates’ Court outlined how both defendants had come to Britain from Europe in small boats. Rahman Salehi arrived in 2020 and had been granted asylum, while Salam Ahmadyan came in 2023 and his asylum claim was still outstanding.
Having entered no pleas, the defendants were ordered to remain in custody until their upcoming appearance at London’s Old Bailey court scheduled for October 23.
| Defendant | Age | Arrival Method | Year of Arrival | Asylum Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rahman Salehi | 34 | Small boat from Europe | 2020 | Granted asylum |
| Salam Ahmadyan | 36 | Small boat from Europe | 2023 | Outstanding |
Home Secretary (interior minister) Shabana Mahmood addressed the broader security context in a public statement following the court appearance. Mahmood stated that this country faces a range of serious threats from the Iranian regime, which she asserted targets Jewish communities and tries to silence their critics overseas, often through proxies and criminal networks to hide their involvement.
Wider Security Investigations and Official Denials
This legal matter emerged one week after British authorities announced that Iran was suspected of involvement in a planned attack on the RAF Fairford air base, a facility utilized by the US military for airstrikes against targets in Iran. A dual British-Iranian national was arrested on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts and has since been released on police bail while the investigation continues.
According to British counterterrorism police, there are no links whatsoever between the Manchester charges and the Fairford inquiry. Denying any responsibility for multiple schemes in Britain over recent years, Tehran labeled the accusations tying it to the Fairford case as entirely groundless.
Following the October 2023 Hamas assaults on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza, the UK has experienced a marked increase in antisemitism, which featured multiple attacks on Jewish locations in London earlier in the year.
