Two men inspired by the Islamic State group were sentenced this month to lengthy prison terms for plotting a mass-casualty attack targeting Manchester’s Jewish community, including plans to behead victims at a public event, British authorities said.
Walid Saadaoui and Ammar Hussein were sentenced to 37 and 26 years in prison, respectively, after being convicted of preparing terrorist acts. According to details published by the Jewish Chronicle and outlined in a report by the Community Security Trust (CST), the pair planned to kill “as many Jews as possible” at an anti-antisemitism march in central Manchester.
The plot, uncovered in an undercover counterterrorism operation that ran from December 2023 until their arrests in May 2024, has been described by police as the largest and most complex covert counterterrorism investigation ever conducted in Britain.
Court proceedings revealed that the two men, who supported the Islamic State group, intended to open fire with rifles at the march once large crowds had gathered. They also discussed dressing as ultra-Orthodox Jews to blend into the crowd before launching their attack.
Hussein told an undercover officer posing as an extremist that they had a “duty” to capture a Jewish person, slaughter them and behead them, adding that he wanted to smear himself in blood during the attack. The men hoped to die as “martyrs,” authorities said.
Saadaoui allegedly planned to livestream the massacre and pledge allegiance to the Islamic State group during the attack. He told the undercover officer in February 2024 that he would rather die than be imprisoned, describing extremist training that emphasized never surrendering.
After attacking the march, prosecutors said, the men planned to travel to heavily Jewish neighborhoods in Manchester, including areas with large ultra-Orthodox communities, to target synagogues and other communal sites. If they survived confrontations with police, they discussed attacking a military base to kill British soldiers.
Saadaoui conducted reconnaissance at Jewish sites, including walking near a Jewish school during school hours. He also discussed poisoning water supplies at the school. In another instance, he and the undercover officer entered a kosher supermarket opposite a synagogue to assess how to carry out an attack, discussing positioning and concealment of firearms.
Hussein initially denied involvement in planning an attack with Saadaoui but later declared he was proud to be a terrorist, expressed support for the Islamic State group and referred to Jews and police in derogatory terms. He also referenced the war in Gaza, accusing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer of supporting Israel.
During sentencing, Judge Markel Wall said the men had come “very close” to carrying out their plan.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood were briefed on the case at Greater Manchester Police headquarters following the arrests.
Authorities said the plot was thwarted before any attack could be carried out.