03-10-2026
British authorities have charged Iranian nationals Rahman Salehi, 34, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, with preparing to commit or assisting another person to commit a terrorist act in Manchester. Prosecutors allege the plan was intended to target the Jewish community on or before Yom Kippur, which began at sundown on September 20, 2026. Police say the men, arrested in Manchester on September 20, sought equipment and components for an improvised explosive device and conducted reconnaissance of potential targets. Authorities say the alleged plot was disrupted, but have not disclosed further details. Police allege the men were in contact with an overseas third party who may have been in Iran. The two are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the men arrived in the UK by small boat from Europe several years ago; one had been granted asylum and the other had an active asylum claim. She accused Iran of targeting Jewish communities and critics overseas, often using proxies and criminal networks. Iran has denied similar accusations.
The charges were announced during the High Holy Days and one year after a deadly attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Manchester, where two people were killed. Counterterrorism police said the timing had caused concern among Jewish people and the wider public, amid increasing antisemitic incidents in the UK. Detectives said the Manchester case was not connected to a separate suspected plot involving RAF Fairford, for which a dual UK-Iranian national was arrested. Britain has alleged Iranian involvement in that case; Tehran denied involvement and said speculation would fuel “Iranophobia propaganda.”
Entities: Rahman Salehi, Salam Ahmadyan, Shabana Mahmood, Vicki Evans, Manchester • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
03-10-2026
A 25-year-old UK-Iranian dual national arrested in connection with a security incident at RAF Fairford has been released on bail. He was arrested in Westminster on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts, and police have completed searches of two properties in the area. Five other men, all UK nationals from London and aged between 23 and 25, had also been arrested after three suspicious vehicles were reported near the Gloucestershire airbase. They were later released on police bail while the investigation continues.
The incident prompted a major response, including the evacuation of dozens of homes. The BBC reports that one of the five men called 999 about an hour before a local farmer reported seeing a large group of masked men near the vehicles. The men were initially arrested on suspicion of explosives offences and later on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act. Police described their release as an investigative decision based on experience and strategy.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham chaired a Cobra meeting after the arrests and said there were strong indications Iran had played a part, without providing further details. Iran has denied involvement, with its embassy in London condemning what it called unfounded and malicious speculation. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a foreign actor was clearly involved, also without presenting evidence or elaborating. President Donald Trump criticized the decision to release the five men on bail, saying he would not have released them and that he was surprised by the UK decision.
RAF Fairford has served as a forward operating location for the US Air Force for decades. Recently, US bombers have used the base for flights to the Middle East after the UK approved its use for defensive strikes on Iran. Iran previously warned that any base used for aggression against its territory could be considered a legitimate target.
Entities: RAF Fairford, UK-Iranian dual national, Westminster, Gloucestershire, US Air Force (USAF) • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
03-10-2026
Two Iranian men have been charged with plotting a terrorist attack against Manchester’s Jewish community, according to British police. Salam Ahmadyan, 36, of Liverpool, and Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford, were arrested in Manchester on September 20. Police allege the men were in contact with a third party overseas, possibly in Iran. Authorities have not disclosed details of the alleged plot, but say it was disrupted and that they do not believe there is an ongoing public threat. The men are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.
The arrests come nearly a year after a deadly attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in northern Manchester. Two people were killed in the October 2, 2025, knife and gun attack during Yom Kippur. Home Minister Shabana Mahmood said the new case would be distressing for Jewish communities, particularly in Manchester as they approach the anniversary and observe the period around Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. She also said the suspects had arrived in Britain by small boat several years earlier, linking the case to the government’s efforts to address illegal migration.
The article places the case amid a recent series of attacks on Jewish or Israel-linked sites in London and other security incidents. Five British men were arrested near RAF Fairford on September 27 on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act, but were later released on bail. A dual U.K.-Iranian national was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of plotting an attack at the air base; it is unclear whether the cases are connected. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the government believes Iran played a part in the September 27 incident, while Iran has denied involvement.
Entities: Salam Ahmadyan, Rahman Salehi, Vicki Evans, Shabana Mahmood, Andy Burnham • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
03-10-2026
A 25-year-old dual British-Iranian national arrested in London on suspicion of preparing a terrorist act near RAF Fairford has been released on bail, British authorities said. His arrest followed a security incident at the U.S.-run air base in England, which has been used by American bombers in strikes against Iran. He is the sixth person arrested and subsequently released on bail while detectives investigate. The other five suspects are British men in their 20s from London, police said.
The incident prompted an evacuation of residents near the base early Sunday as armed police and army bomb-disposal experts searched the area. Police later reported finding gasoline, described as an accelerant, in three vans connected to the five other suspects. They said no explosives were found. Authorities have linked the incident to Tehran, although Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the U.K. had “strong indications” of Iranian involvement without explaining what the suspects allegedly planned or why officials believed Iran was involved. Iran has denied involvement and has previously said it regards bases used to attack its territory as legitimate targets.
The bail decisions drew criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The arrests occurred amid heightened concern about hostile states and alleged proxy activity in Britain. British security services reported a 50% increase in national security cases involving hostile-state activity, including Iran, during the six months to December 2025. U.K. officials have also attributed a series of arsons and other attacks in Britain and elsewhere to proxies linked to Iran, saying some targeted Jewish communities and were intended to create fear. Officials have warned that Tehran could widen its targets in the U.K. if conflicts in the Middle East continue.
Entities: RAF Fairford, United Kingdom, Iran, London, Andy Burnham • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
03-10-2026
Two Iranian nationals, Salam Ahmadyan, 36, and Rahman Salehi, 34, were charged in the UK with allegedly plotting an attack against Jewish people in Manchester on Yom Kippur. British counterterrorism police say the men obtained homemade explosive materials through encrypted messaging apps, consulted a document describing how to make a bomb using powder chlorine and car brake fluid, and gathered images, plans, and maps of potential targets. Authorities also allege they conducted reconnaissance. The men were arrested in Manchester on September 20, the day before Yom Kippur. Police say the alleged plot coincided with the anniversary of a previous attack at Heaton Park Synagogue that killed two worshippers. The suspects lived in Liverpool and Salford and were allegedly in contact with a third party, possibly in Iran. The British government says both are believed to have entered the country illegally in recent years using migrant-smuggling boats.
The arrests came amid separate concerns about possible Iran-linked activity in Britain. Days earlier, police investigated a suspected plot near RAF Fairford after explosives were reported in vans close to the base, which is used by the US Air Force for missions to Iran. The material was later identified as gasoline; five British nationals arrested in connection with the incident were released on bail, and the investigation continues. A separate 25-year-old Iranian national was arrested in London on suspicion of planning an attack at the air force base. Authorities have not established that the incidents are connected. A senior counterterrorism official said the events had highlighted wider threats from Iran. Iran has denied involvement in the Fairford incident, while the article says it had not responded to reports about the alleged Manchester plot. Government minister Shabana Mahmood said the news would be distressing for Jewish communities, particularly in Manchester.
Entities: Salam Ahmadyan, Rahman Salehi, Shabana Mahmood, Vicki Evans, Manchester • Tone: analytical • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
03-10-2026
British counter-terrorism police said on October 3 that a 25-year-old dual UK-Iranian national arrested in connection with a suspected plot involving RAF Fairford had been released on bail. He was detained on October 1 on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. Police said searches at two London properties had concluded, while the broader investigation into events in Gloucestershire continued.
The incident began in the early hours of September 27, when five British men in their 20s were arrested near RAF Fairford, a base in western England used by US bombers. The men were suspected of terrorism and explosives-related offences and were later released without charge on police bail under stringent conditions. Detectives said petrol was found in three vans near the men, but no improvised explosive device was present.
Police have described the investigation as complex and are examining whether a foreign state was involved. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said an Iranian link was possible. US President Donald Trump said there had been a plan to cause “big damage” at the base, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio referred to the possible involvement of a foreign actor. Iran denies involvement, calling the accusations baseless, and summoned the British ambassador in Tehran on October 1 over the claims. The article reports the allegations and investigation but does not establish that a plot or foreign involvement has been proven.
Entities: RAF Fairford, Fairford, Gloucestershire, London, Tehran, British counter-terrorism police • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: neutral • Intent: inform
03-10-2026
Two Iranian nationals, Rahman Salehi, 34, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on charges related to an alleged terrorist plot targeting Jewish sites in Manchester. Prosecutors say the men conducted hostile surveillance of potential targets on September 20, the start of Yom Kippur. The sites named include the Manchester Jewish Museum and Heaton Park synagogue, where two worshippers were killed in an attack almost a year earlier.
Prosecutor Mark Luckett told the court that the alleged plan involved a homemade explosive device made from chlorine and brake fluid. The men are accused of working with a third party who allegedly directed and coordinated the planning and provided instructions for assembling the device. Prosecutors believe that person is an Iranian national operating from Iran. The defendants did not enter pleas and were remanded in custody until a further hearing at the Old Bailey on October 23.
The article notes that both men entered Britain from Europe in small boats: Salehi arrived in 2020 and was granted asylum, while Ahmadyan arrived in 2023 and has an outstanding asylum claim. The Manchester investigation is separate from a suspected plot involving RAF Fairford, which Britain recently said Iran was believed to be involved in. A dual British-Iranian national arrested in that investigation was released on police bail, and Iran has denied involvement in alleged plots.
The report also places the case amid increased antisemitism in Britain since the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023 and the subsequent Gaza war, including attacks on Jewish sites in London. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said Iran’s regime poses serious threats and accused it of targeting Jewish communities and silencing critics through proxies and criminal networks.
Entities: Rahman Salehi, Salam Ahmadyan, Mark Luckett, Shabana Mahmood, Westminster Magistrates’ Court • Tone: neutral • Sentiment: negative • Intent: inform
