TWO IRANIANS CHARGED OVER ALLEGED PLOT AGAINST JEWISH COMMUNITY

Britain's Crown Prosecution Service has charged two Iranian nationals, Rahman Salehi of Salford and Salam Ahmadyan of Liverpool, with preparing to commit an act of terrorism. Prosecutors allege the pair planned an attack targeting the Jewish community in the Manchester area, timed for on or before Yom Kippur, which began at sundown on 20 September. Counterterrorism police arrested the two men in Manchester that day and took them to a police station in London. Both are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday.

Police allege the men were in contact with a third party overseas, possibly in Iran, over the plot. Officers say the pair tried to acquire components for an improvised explosive device and carried out reconnaissance on potential targets. Police carried out searches at addresses on Epworth Street in Liverpool and Lancaster Road in Salford. Police said they disrupted the alleged plot but have not released further details of what it involved. Iran has denied similar accusations made against it in the past.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the men arrived in the UK by small boat from Europe several years ago, with one granted asylum and the other holding a live asylum claim. She said Iran poses "a range of serious threats" to the UK and targets Jewish communities and critics abroad through proxies and criminal networks. Vicki Evans of Counter Terrorism Policing said the timing, during the Jewish High Holy Day period and near the anniversary of last year's attack at Heaton Park synagogue, had heightened concern among the Jewish community amid a wider rise in antisemitic incidents. She said police believe there is no ongoing threat to the public but urged vigilance.