Two Iranian Men Charged Over Alleged Yom Kippur Terror Plot Targeting Manchester's Jewish Community

Two Iranian men have been charged with terror offenses over an alleged plot to attack the Jewish community in Manchester, Britain's counter-terrorism police announced Friday, coming days before the anniversary of a deadly synagogue attack that killed at least two people.

London's Metropolitan Police named the suspects as Salam Ahmadyan, 36, of Liverpool, and Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford, who were arrested on Sept. 20 — the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. They were charged with "engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts," police said. Authorities also said the two men are allegedly in contact with a third person who may be in Iran in relation to the alleged plot.

"These are extremely serious charges and allegations and have come about from a joint CTP (Counter Terror Policing) investigation, working closely with our partners in the security services," said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dominic Evans. Evans said the investigation helped disrupt what is believed to have been a plot targeting the Jewish community, but that authorities do not believe there to be an ongoing threat to the public related to this specific case.

The charges come a year after a deadly car ramming and stabbing attack outside a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur 2025 killed at least two people. They also follow the arrest of another Iranian national with dual British citizenship on suspicion of terror offenses linked to an alleged plot to target RAF Fairford, a UK airbase used by the U.S. military. Authorities have said the airbase incident is not believed to be connected with the latest attempted attack on Manchester's Jewish community.

"This week also brought into sharp focus some of the wider threats being projected into the UK from Iran," Evans said. The British government subsequently announced extra police forces to protect Jewish areas across the country.

Reporting by CNN. Read the original report: UK charges 2 Iranian men over alleged Yom Kippur terror plot in Manchester.