British police have charged two Iranian nationals with preparing a terrorist attack targeting the Jewish community in Manchester, northern England. Rahman Salehi, 35, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, have been charged with preparing to commit an act of terrorism or assisting another to commit an act of terrorism.
The two men were arrested on September 20, on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. British prosecutors officially brought the terrorism charges on Friday.
The Metropolitan Police stated that the suspects entered the United Kingdom on small boats. This security incident comes at a time when tensions between Britain and Iran are already high over another security matter.
These arrests come nearly a year after a deadly knife and gun attack on the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in northern Manchester, which resulted in the deaths of two people.