UK charges 2 Iranian men over alleged Yom Kippur terror plot in Manchester

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Two Iranian men have been charged with terror offenses over an alleged plot to attack the Jewish community in Manchester on the eve of Yom Kippur, the latest in a wave of antisemitic attacks in the UK this year.

London’s Metropolitan police named the suspects as 36-year-old Salam Ahmadyan of Liverpool and 34-year-old Rahman Salehi of Salford, who were arrested on September 20, on the eve of the holiest day in Judaism, a year after a deadly synagogue attack in Manchester. They were charged on Friday with “engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts,” police said.

Authorities also said the two men are allegedly in contact with a third person who may be in Iran in relation to the alleged plot.

“These are extremely serious charges and allegations and have come about from a joint CTP (Counter Terror Policing) investigation, working closely with our partners in the security services,” said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for CTP.

Evans said the investigation helped disrupt what is believed to have been a plot targeting the Jewish community, but that authorities do not believe there to be an ongoing threat to the public related to the attempted attack.

The charges come a year after a deadly car ramming and stabbing attack outside a Manchester synagogue killed at least two people. They also come just a day after another Iranian national with dual British citizenship was arrested on suspicion of terror offenses linked to an alleged plot to target a UK airbase used by the US military in Fairford, western England.

The 25-year-old was arrested in Westminster, London, after UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham said there are “strong indications” Iran was involved in the incident – something the Iranian government has denied.

Authorities have said the airbase incident is not believed to be connected with the latest attempted attack on Manchester’s Jewish community.

“This week also brought into sharp focus some of the wider threats being projected into the UK from Iran,” Evans said. “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 UK has seen a wave of antisemitic attacks this year, including assaults on synagogues and other communal buildings. The British government subsequently announced extra police forces to protect Jewish areas across the country.

“We know how concerning this news will be to Jewish communities in Greater Manchester, and beyond,” Greater Manchester Police Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods said. “We know this is particularly acute on the calendar anniversary of last year’s terrorist atrocity at the Heaton Park synagogue, and during the Jewish High Holy Days.”

Woods said the “ongoing and robust” policing plans across Jewish communities would remain in place as authorities work closely with community leaders and British Counter-Terrorism Police.

克里斯托弗·弗隆/盖蒂图片社

两名伊朗男子因涉嫌策划在赎罪日前夕袭击曼彻斯特犹太社区而被控犯有恐怖主义罪行，这是今年英国发生的一系列反犹太主义袭击事件中的最新一起。

伦敦警察厅公布了嫌疑人姓名，分别为36岁的利物浦居民萨拉姆·艾哈迈迪安和34岁的索尔福德居民拉赫曼·萨利希。两人于9月20日被捕，当天是犹太教最神圣的节日——犹太新年——的前夕，也是曼彻斯特犹太教堂致命袭击事件发生一周年之际。警方称，他们于周五被控“从事准备实施恐怖主义行为”。

当局还表示，这两名男子据称与第三人有联系，此人可能身在伊朗，与这起阴谋有关。

“这些指控和指控非常严重，是反恐警务部门与我们的安全部门合作伙伴密切合作开展的联合调查的结果，”反恐警务高级国家协调员、副助理警务处长维姬·埃文斯说。

埃文斯表示，调查有助于挫败一起据信是针对犹太社区的阴谋，但当局认为此次未遂袭击不会对公众构成持续威胁。

这些指控是在曼彻斯特一座犹太教堂外发生致命汽车冲撞和持刀袭击事件一年后提出的，该事件造成至少两人死亡。此外，就在一天前，另一名拥有英国双重国籍的伊朗公民因涉嫌参与一起针对位于英格兰西部费尔福德的美国军方使用的英国空军基地的恐怖袭击阴谋而被捕。

这名 25 岁的男子在伦敦威斯敏斯特被捕。此前，英国首相安迪·伯纳姆表示有“强烈迹象”表明伊朗参与了这起事件——但伊朗政府否认了这一说法。

当局表示，空军基地事件据信与最近针对曼彻斯特犹太社区的袭击未遂事件无关。

埃文斯表示：“本周也使人们更加清楚地认识到伊朗对英国构成的更广泛的威胁。虽然此次事件与对费尔福德皇家空军基地事件的调查没有任何关联，但我仍要向公众保证，反恐部门正与我们的国家安全伙伴合作，动用一切能力保护英国免受任何敌对行为的侵害。”

今年英国发生了一系列反犹袭击事件，包括对犹太教堂和其他公共建筑的袭击。随后，英国政府宣布增派警力，以保护全国各地的犹太人聚居区。

“我们知道，这一消息会让大曼彻斯特地区乃至更广泛地区的犹太社区感到担忧，”大曼彻斯特警察局副局长特里·伍兹说。“我们知道，在去年希顿公园犹太教堂恐怖袭击事件周年纪念日以及犹太教节日期间，这一消息尤其令人痛心。”

伍兹表示，针对犹太社区的“持续且强有力的”警务计划将继续实施，当局将与社区领袖和英国反恐警察密切合作。