Two Iranian men identified Manchester synagogue as site for alleged bomb plot, court hears

Rahman Salehi, 34, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, were charged with preparing attacks on city’s Jewish community, including Heaton Park synagogue

Two Iranian men identified a Manchester synagogue previously subjected to a fatal terrorist attack as a target for an alleged homemade bomb plot, a court has heard.

The two men appeared in Westminster magistrates court on Saturday morning. They wore grey overalls in the dock while and, through a Kurdish interpreter, spoke to confirm their names, dates of birth and addresses.

The court heard the pair came to the UK illegally via small boats. Salehi arrived in 2020 before being granted leave to remain in 2023. Ahmadyan came in 2023 and has an outstanding asylum claim.

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.

“They were in contact with a third party who is alleged to have directed and coordinated the planned attack and provided instructions on how to assemble a homemade explosive device,” he said.

The two men were arrested on 20 September 2026 in broad daylight, just before the festival of Yom Kippur, widely regarded as the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

They are also accused of using the internet to identify and research potential targets, acquiring images, plans and maps of potential targets and conducting reconnaissance of potential locations for attack.