Two Iranian Nationals Charged in Yom Kippur Bomb Plot Against UK Jews

WHO:

CNN - The suspects are Salam Ahmadyan, 36, and Rahman Salehi, 34.

ABC News - The prosecutor is Mark Luckett.

NBC News - The suspects are identified as Rahman Salehi, 35, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36.

WHAT:

CNN - Ahmadyan and Salehi were charged with “engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts.”

ABC News - The two men conducted surveillance of a Manchester synagogue as part of a plot to bomb it.

NBC News - The charges were related to preparing a terrorist attack against the Jewish community.

CNN - The suspects allegedly planned to make a chlorine bomb and researched potential targets.

WHERE:

CNN - The plot targeted the Jewish community in Manchester, England.

ABC News - The specific locations mentioned include the Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue and the Jewish Museum in Cheetham Hill.

WHEN:

CNN - The suspects were arrested on September 20, the eve of Yom Kippur.

ABC News - The Heaton Park synagogue was attacked on October 2, 2025.

ABC News - The next court appearance for the suspects is scheduled for October 23.

WHY:

CNN - The plot is part of a wave of antisemitic attacks in the UK this year.

ABC News - The prosecutor indicated that a third person, believed to be in Iran, directed the plot.

HOW:

CNN - The suspects allegedly communicated with a third party in Iran who provided instructions on assembling a homemade explosive device.

ABC News - The defendants were observed conducting reconnaissance within Manchester’s Jewish community.

(UPDATED October 3, 2026 16:25 UTC)

Two men, Salam Ahmadyan, 36, and Rahman Salehi, 34, have been charged with preparing for terrorist acts after allegedly conducting surveillance of a synagogue in Manchester, England, as part of a plot to bomb it. The prosecutor, Mark Luckett, stated that the suspects communicated with a third party in Iran who provided instructions on assembling a homemade explosive device, and their next court appearance is set for October 23. This incident is part of a troubling wave of antisemitic attacks in the UK this year, with the Heaton Park synagogue previously attacked on October 2, 2025.