Two men held over alleged Manchester Jewish-community bomb plot

The allegation is a plot to attack Manchester’s Jewish community with a homemade chlorine bomb. What the available reporting does not establish is whether a completed device existed or whether police recovered a bomb or components. That distinction matters: this is a prosecution over alleged preparations, not a reported attack or a proven crime. ¹

Two defendants, Salam Ahmadyan and Rahman Salehi, were remanded in custody at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on October 3, 2026. District Judge Nina Tempia ordered that they remain detained, with their next appearance listed at the Old Bailey on October 23. Neither entered a plea at the hearing. Neither has been found guilty; silence on a plea at this stage is not an admission. ^{5 14}

The prosecution identifies Heaton Park Synagogue and Manchester Jewish Museum as intended targets. For Jewish residents, those allegations concern places of worship, community life and the preservation of Jewish history. Their seriousness does not remove the obligation to distinguish what prosecutors allege from what a court has established. ⁶

The Metropolitan Police identify Ahmadyan as 36, born March 5, 1990, and living in Liverpool; Salehi as 34, born October 28, 1991, and living in Salford. Both are Iranian nationals. The charging records and court reporting establish these spellings of their names, correcting the initial renderings “Salah Ammajane” and “Rahman Salihai.” ^{1 2 4}

There is a separate, unresolved discrepancy over Salehi’s age. The Crown Prosecution Service’s October 2 announcement gives 35, while the police record and October 3 court accounts give 34. BBC excerpts also vary. The police-record birth date would make him 34 at the hearing and 35 on October 28, but that arithmetic does not explain the differing published ages. ^{2 3 4 8}

The charge is engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts, reported under section 5 of the Terrorism Act 2006. The CPS describes the allegation as preparing to commit an act of terrorism or assisting another person to do so, on or before September 20, 2026. A beginning date for the alleged conduct is not established. The full charge sheet and any more precise statutory subsection are unavailable; the complete Act and section are supported by court reporting, rather than the incomplete official charging excerpts. ^{3 14}

Manchester Evening News reports an allegation of “hostile reconnaissance” of Manchester’s Jewish community and identifies the synagogue and museum as targets. Associated Press reporting published by PBS describes a prosecutor alleging surveillance of the synagogue and research into attacking it. The available accounts do not establish the precise reconnaissance activities, their dates or what each defendant allegedly did at each location. Naming an institution as an alleged target is not evidence that an attack there occurred. ^{6 12}

Sky News reports that counter-terrorism police alleged the men used encrypted applications to communicate with others about acquiring components for a homemade chlorine bomb. That is an allegation about communications and intended acquisition. It does not establish that all necessary materials were obtained or that a device was completed. ¹

The available material does not identify the applications, reproduce the messages, name all participants or specify the components. Nor does it settle whether police recovered a bomb or materials. Those gaps cannot fairly be converted into either a claim that a device was seized or a claim that nothing was found. The prosecution will have to prove the alleged conduct and each defendant’s connection to it.

The case also includes alleged contact with a third party believed to be in Iran. Sky News attributes that allegation to prosecutors; The Sun reports tentative wording about an overseas contact who “may be in Iran.” The person’s identity and location are not established. ^{1 15}

The arrests took place in Manchester on Sunday, September 20. Sky News places them in the Northern Quarter, but the available Metropolitan Police excerpt confirms only Manchester. A photograph caption referring to a scene on Newton Street does not independently establish the arrest location. The time of day remains unknown. ^{1 2 23}

September 20 was Erev Yom Kippur, the eve of the Jewish Day of Atonement. Hebcal and Chabad confirm that Yom Kippur 5787 began at sunset that Sunday and ended at nightfall on Monday, September 21. Chabad describes the fast as running from several minutes before sunset until after nightfall. ^{28 29 31}

That verifies the calendar description attached to the arrest date, not an intended attack hour. Manchester-specific observance times are not established here, and without an arrest time it is impossible to say whether the arrests preceded or followed sunset. The date alone does not prove a plan to attack during worship.

The Jewish Chronicle attributes to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmation that both men arrived in the United Kingdom by small boat “several years ago.” Her full statement and its precise issuance time are unavailable. That limited arrival history establishes neither man’s immigration status at arrest and does not explain or prove the alleged terrorist conduct. ¹⁹

The Metropolitan Police announced the charges following a Counter Terrorism Policing investigation. The available material does not specify which force or regional unit led the operation, made the arrests or conducted searches. The official excerpts corroborate the arrests and charging announcement, but do not independently verify every operational detail in the reporting. ²

October 23 is the next listed court date, not a verdict deadline. The consequential questions remain what evidence will be presented, how each defendant will respond and whether the allegations can be proved. The established position is two defendants in custody facing a terrorism-preparation charge—not a completed attack, a proven bomb recovery or a finding of guilt. ^{5 14}

Sky News: October 3 court report. ¹ Metropolitan Police: charging announcement. ² Crown Prosecution Service: prosecution announcement. ³

BBC News: court report and charging report. ^{4 8} Inkl: court-report excerpt. ⁵ Manchester Evening News: alleged targets and court proceedings. ⁶ The Standard: court report. ⁷

The Guardian: October 3 court report. ⁹ The Jewish Chronicle: court report. ¹⁰ RTÉ: synagogue-surveillance allegations. ¹¹ Associated Press/PBS: prosecutor’s account. ¹² BBC.com.im: reproduced court-report excerpt. ¹³ London Daily News: charge, pleas and custody reporting. ¹⁴

The Sun: overseas-contact allegation. ¹⁵ TNNews.ai: case report. ¹⁶ Yahoo News UK: court report. ¹⁷ The Independent: charging report. ¹⁸

The Jewish Chronicle: charging report and Mahmood’s arrival-history statement. ¹⁹ The Telegraph: charging report. ²⁰ The Standard: charging report. ²¹ The Times of Israel: arrest-date and Yom Kippur account. ²²

Manchester Evening News: pre-hearing charging report. ²³ The Guardian: October 2 charging report. ²⁴ My London: case report. ²⁵ Belfast Telegraph: charging-report excerpt. ²⁶ KentOnline: charging-report excerpt. ²⁷

Hebcal: Yom Kippur 2026 dates. ²⁸ Chabad: holiday-date summary and observance guide. ^{29 31} Hebcal: Israel 5787 calendar. ³⁰

Hebcal: 5787 holiday calendar, Yom Kippur overview, diaspora calendars and 2026 holiday calendar. ^{32 33 34 35 36} Am Hazak: Yom Kippur 2026 calendar. ³⁷