Two Iranian nationals charged with plotting acts of terrorism against the United Kingdom's Jewish community were remanded in custody by a London court on Saturday.
The pair were detained on September 20, the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. The case only came to light on Friday, when the two men were formally charged.
Prosecutor Mark Luckett told Westminster Magistrates' Court that Rahman S., 34, and Salam A., 36, are accused of carrying out "hostile reconnaissance" on Jewish targets in Manchester, in northern England.
He said the two men planned to use a "homemade explosive device" and had allegedly been in contact with a third party, an Iranian national most likely operating from within Iran. That contact is alleged to have given the pair instructions on how to assemble a homemade device from chlorine and brake fluid.
Luckett said the suspects had used online resources, including images, plans and maps, to identify and research potential attack sites. The targets included the Manchester Jewish Museum and the Heaton Park synagogue, where two Jewish worshippers were killed in a knife attack a year ago on Friday.
The two men had arrived in Britain on small boats that crossed the English Channel from mainland Europe, Luckett added. One had been granted asylum, while the other's application remains pending.
The pair did not enter a plea and were remanded in custody until their next hearing at London's Old Bailey on October 23.
Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator of counterterror policing, said the plot was believed to be isolated and that there was no ongoing public threat.
Evans also said the Manchester plot was "not connected in any way" to a separate suspected terror plot at RAF Fairford, which was foiled last weekend. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said that case showed "strong indications" of Iranian involvement.
On Saturday, police said a dual British-Iranian national, aged 25, who was arrested on Thursday in connection with the RAF Fairford plot, had been released on police bail. He was the sixth person arrested and then bailed as the investigation continues. The five other men held are all British nationals in their 20s and from London.
The RAF Fairford plot came to light after a farmer spotted suspicious white vans near the base early on Sunday morning and alerted authorities. Officers found petrol inside the vans but no explosives. Reports emerged this week that one of the suspects had called police approximately an hour earlier, though that has not been confirmed.
RAF Fairford lies 90 miles west of London and has been used by US bombers to strike Iran. Tehran has rejected as baseless accusations of involvement in any plot targeting the base.
The UK remains on high alert for potential threats from Russia and Iran. Iran has previously been accused of using proxies to commit crimes on British soil, including repeated attacks and plots against Jewish targets, as well as against dissidents. Antisemitic attacks more broadly have risen sharply since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
