Two Iranian men who arrived in the UK on small boats have appeared in court accused of preparing a bomb plot targeting the Jewish community in Manchester, in a case that has raised fresh questions about the intersection of national security and illegal migration.
Salam Ahmadyan, 36, of Liverpool, and Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford, were arrested in Manchester on September 20 and charged with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts, Counter Terrorism Policing said.
The men appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday. Salehi spoke through a Kurdish interpreter while Ahmadyan used a Farsi interpreter, with both confirming their names, dates of birth and addresses.
District Judge Nina Tempia remanded both men in custody. They are due to appear at the Old Bailey on October 23.
The allegations concern what police described as preparations for a potential attack against Jewish targets in Manchester. Prosecutors allege the pair were in contact with an overseas third party, who may have been in Iran.
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The Metropolitan Police allege that the men obtained instructions to manufacture a chlorine bomb and acquired liquids and other components for an improvised explosive device.
They are also accused of using the internet to identify potential targets, obtaining images, plans and maps, and carrying out reconnaissance of possible attack locations.
Among the sites allegedly researched was Heaton Park synagogue, which was attacked last year.
Police have searched addresses on Epworth Street in Liverpool and Lancaster Road in Salford as part of the investigation.
The case has placed renewed scrutiny on the security implications of Britain’s small-boat migration route, after details of the defendants’ journeys to the UK emerged in court.
Salehi arrived by small boat in 2020 after previously claiming asylum in Germany, where he spent five years. He was granted asylum in Britain in 2023 and currently has leave to remain until July 2028.
Ahmadyan arrived in the UK by small boat in 2023 and has an outstanding asylum claim, the court heard.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood linked the case directly to the government’s efforts to tackle illegal migration, while stressing the wider distress caused by the alleged plot.
“Two suspects have been charged with planning a terrorist attack against Jewish communities in Manchester.
“This news will be deeply distressing for our Jewish communities, coming so soon after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
“I know this will be especially true in Manchester, as we mark one year since the terrorist attack at Heaton Park Synagogue.
“The fact both suspects arrived by small boat several years ago is a reminder of the importance of our relentless work to tackle illegal migration into this country. While numbers are down, I know there is more we must do.”
Counter Terrorism Policing said there was no indication of an ongoing threat to the public.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, CTP’s senior national co-ordinator, said the timing of the arrests would nevertheless be particularly concerning for Jewish communities.
“I’m aware that the news of this alleged plot coming during the High Holy Day period has caused a great deal of concern to the Jewish community, as well as with the wider public,” she said.
“It also coincides with the anniversary of the devastating terrorist attack last year at Heaton Park synagogue and comes in a wider context of increasing antisemitic incidents across the UK, so we are very aware that this will likely increase what were already heightened concerns amongst the Jewish community.
“While this incident and the investigation into the RAF Fairford incident are not connected in any way, I want to reassure the public that CTP, working with our national security partners, are using the full range of our capabilities to protect the UK from any hostile acts.”
The allegations have yet to be tested in court. But the investigation adds another dimension to the government’s twin challenges of disrupting terrorist activity and controlling irregular migration, with the two suspects’ routes into Britain now forming a central part of the political debate surrounding the case.
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