Two Iranian men remanded in custody over alleged Manchester Jewish community bomb plot

This is a follow-up to our earlier report on the charging of two men over an alleged terror plot in Manchester.

Two Iranian nationals accused of a bomb plot targeting the Jewish community in Manchester have been remanded in custody after appearing in court on Saturday.

Salam Ahmadyan, 36, of Liverpool, and Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford in Greater Manchester, were charged with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts, contrary to section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006. They were charged on Friday and remanded in custody ahead of the hearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.

Both men arrived in Britain by small boat, in 2020 and 2023 respectively, and one had been granted asylum while the other had an ongoing claim, the Home Office said.

The charges allege the men communicated with others using encrypted applications to acquire components to assemble a homemade explosive device. They are accused of obtaining a document entitled “Steps for Making Powder Chlorine and Car Brake Oil/Fluid Bomb”, as well as video material with instructions on manufacturing an improvised explosive device. Prosecutors say the pair acquired images, plans and maps of potential targets, carried out reconnaissance of some sites, used the internet to research targets, and obtained liquids, components and equipment needed to build a device.

Counter Terrorism Policing said it was alleged the men were in contact with an “overseas third party who may be in Iran” in relation to the suspected plot. The pair were arrested in Manchester on September 20, on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Vicki Evans, the senior national co-ordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said the investigation had “led to the disruption of what we believe to have been a plot targeting the Jewish community in Manchester”, adding that police did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the public.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the case was a reminder of threats from “both terrorists and foreign state actors”, pledging to protect Jewish communities. She said it was “no secret that this country faces a range of serious threats from the Iranian regime”, which she accused of targeting Jewish communities and critics overseas through proxies. Iran has denied similar accusations.

The charges come a year after Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed in a terror attack on the Heaton Park synagogue in Manchester on October 2, 2025. The attacker, Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, a British citizen of Syrian descent, was shot dead by armed police. Detectives said there was no connection between the Manchester charges and the suspected plot at RAF Fairford, over which a dual UK-Iranian national was arrested on Thursday.