Two Iranians Charged Over an Alleged Plot Against Manchester's Jewish Community
Rahman Salehi, 34, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, have been charged with preparing to commit or assisting another to commit an act of terrorism in Manchester on or before Yom Kippur. Police allege they tried to acquire components for an improvised explosive device and conducted reconnaissance, and that they were in contact with a third party who may be in Iran. Both appear in court today.
Two things make this more than a terrorism charge. The first is the alleged state link: police say the men “were in contact with an overseas third-party who may be in Iran in relation to the plot”, which, if proved, would be the second Iranian-linked plot in Britain inside a fortnight, after the Prime Minister said there were “strong indications” Iran played a part at RAF Fairford. The second is how the two men came. Shabana Mahmood said both arrived on a small boat from Europe several years ago, one granted asylum and the other with a live claim — which places an Iranian state-linked case inside the asylum argument in the same week the government scrapped its returns deal with France. “It is no secret that this country faces a range of serious threats from the Iranian regime,” the Home Secretary said. Both were arrested in Manchester on 20 September, the day Yom Kippur began. Watch what is said in court.