Two Iranian men remanded over alleged Manchester Jewish community bomb plot
Two Iranian nationals, Rahman Salehi and Salaam Ahmadyan, have been charged and remanded over an alleged homemade bomb plot targeting Manchester's Jewish community.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Two Iranian nationals have been charged and remanded in custody over an alleged plot to attack the Jewish community in Manchester with a homemade bomb.
The men, Rahman Salehi, 34, from Salford, and Salaam Ahmadyan, 36, from Liverpool, appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court after being arrested on 20 September, the eve of Yom Kippur. Both are Iranian nationals. The Home Secretary said they arrived in the UK illegally by small boat, one in 2020 and the other in 2023. One had been granted asylum and the other had an outstanding claim. Reports from the court said Salehi had previously claimed asylum in Germany and lived there for five years before coming to the UK.
Counterterrorism police said the arrests followed a long-running proactive investigation. The men were arrested in Manchester's Northern Quarter, and searches were carried out in Salford and Liverpool. Police said the alleged plot targeted Manchester's Jewish community during the Jewish festival period, and they believed it was fairly imminent. They said they did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the public.
Prosecutors allege the men were engaged in conduct in preparation for a terrorist attack. The charges include acquiring materials and instructions for an improvised explosive device, and carrying out research and reconnaissance on potential targets. The court heard allegations that they sought instructions to make a chlorine bomb, gathered liquids and components, and used encrypted applications to communicate. The alleged targets included the Jewish Museum in Manchester and Heaton Park Synagogue.
Heaton Park Synagogue was the site of a deadly attack on Yom Kippur last year, when two Jewish worshippers were killed. The charges came around the first anniversary of that attack. The Community Security Trust described the suspected plot as utterly chilling. The Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, said the news would be deeply distressing for Jewish communities, coming so soon after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and especially in Manchester.
Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for counter-terror policing, said the charges were extremely serious and came from a joint counterterrorism investigation with security services. She said the investigation had disrupted what police believed was a plot targeting the Jewish community in Manchester.
Prosecutors also alleged the men were in contact with a third party, believed to be in Iran. Police said they were seen carrying out what was described as hostile reconnaissance on Jewish buildings on the day of their arrest. Extra police patrols were promised in the area.
Salehi applied for bail at Westminster Magistrates Court, but the application was refused. Both men were remanded in custody and are due to appear at the Old Bailey on 23 October.
The men spoke through interpreters only to confirm their names, ages and addresses. They wore grey tracksuits during the hearing.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 5 or more of 6 channels | ||||||
| Two men were charged with preparing acts of terrorism or assisting someone to prepare acts of terrorism. | ||||||
| Reported by a few · 2–4 channels | ||||||
| Police alleged the men tried to acquire materials for an improvised explosive device and carried out reconnaissance on potential targets. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by GB News | Reported by Sky News | |||
| Police alleged the two men may have been in contact with another person who could be in Iran. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |||
| The men were alleged to have carried out hostile reconnaissance of Jewish targets in Manchester. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| The two men were reported to have arrived in the UK by small boat in 2020 and 2023; one had been granted asylum and the other was claiming asylum, and the Home Secretary said they were Iranian nationals. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by ITV | |||
| Two men in their 30s were arrested on Sunday in Manchester's Northern Quarter over a suspected plot to target the Jewish community, with searches in Liverpool and Salford. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by GB News | |||
| Both men were remanded in custody, with Salehi's bail application refused and a Crown Court hearing set for 23 October. | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Police said they did not believe there was an ongoing threat to the public and were still pursuing lines of inquiry. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Only on one channel | ||||||
| Nigel Farage called for the Home Secretary to resign if she disagreed with him over the border threat. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Police described the suspected plot as fairly imminent. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| The arrested men were held in a London police station. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The Community Security Trust described the suspected plot as extremely alarming and noted its proximity to the anniversary of the Heaton Park attack. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by GB News | Not reported by Sky News | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West led with the initial arrests as a fast-moving security story, stressing that the plot was described as fairly imminent and tied to the Jewish festival period. Its later coverage moved to the charges, court appearance and the allegation that the men had instructions for a chlorine bomb. It also kept the Heaton Park synagogue anniversary prominent.
- “Two men have been arrested in connection with a suspected plot to target the Jewish community in the Manchester area.”
- “It's been described to me as a fairly imminent plot.”
- “They are accused of getting instructions to make a chlorine bomb, trying to get materials to make an improvised explosive device and carrying out research and reconnaissance on potential targets.”
BBC NEWS focused on the legal and charging stage, with clear sequencing of the arrests, charges and court appearance. It gave detailed allegations about the improvised explosive device, reconnaissance and the Old Bailey timetable. The tone was factual and avoided political framing.
- “Two Iranian nationals are due to appear in court today charged with terror offences over an alleged plot to target the Jewish community in Manchester.”
- “The two men have now been remanded, one of them applied for bail, that was rejected, so now both of them will appear at the Old Bailey later this month.”
- “The court heard that on the day that the men were arrested, the 20th of September, they were seen what they described as carrying out hostile reconnaissance on Jewish buildings, including on the Heaton Park synagogue.”
ITV1 gave detailed court reporting, naming the alleged targets and the overseas contact allegation. Its early coverage highlighted the Community Security Trust reaction, calling the suspected plot utterly chilling. It also noted that one suspect had asylum granted while the other had an outstanding claim.
- “Counterterrorism police have revealed a suspected plot to target the Jewish community in Manchester again.”
- “A spokesperson for the Community Security Trust which coordinates security for Jewish communities in the UK, describing the suspected plot as utterly chilling, coming so close to that anniversary.”
- “Among the charges facing them are things like acquiring materials and instructions required to make a homemade explosive device and conducting reconnaissance on potential targets within Manchester.”
Sky News combined rolling breaking news with court detail, repeatedly carrying the Home Secretary's statement and police quotes. Its later reporting described the hearing, the men's appearance in grey tracksuits and the allegation of a homemade chlorine bomb. It stressed extra police patrols and the seriousness of the charges.
- “Two Iranian nationals have been charged over a suspected terror plot against Jewish people in Manchester.”
- “This investigation has led to the disruption of what we believe to have been a plot targeting the Jewish community in Manchester.”
- “The prosecution said they were observed carrying out hostile reconnaissance at Jewish targets in Manchester Including Heaton Park synagogue”
GB News framed the charges through illegal migration and small boats, giving prominence to the Home Secretary's remarks on border control. It also aired a long Nigel Farage statement claiming he had warned about Iranian terrorists using illegal routes. The tone was strongly political and critical of the government.
- “two Iranian small boat illegal migrants have now been charged with plotting a terror attack in the UK.”
- “This news will be deeply distressing for our Jewish communities, coming so soon after Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.”
- “We now have a state of national emergency on our borders.”
5 News gave a short, straight roundup of the court appearance and the main allegation. It named the suspects and the Heaton Park synagogue target, then noted the next hearing date. It did not add political context or reaction.
- “Two Iranian men have appeared in court, charged with plotting to target Manchester's Jewish community with a homemade bomb.”
- “Raham Salehi and Salaam Ahmadyan are accused of scoping out potential targets, including Heaton Park synagogue, which was attacked last October.”
- “They will appear at the Old Bailey for a hearing on the 23rd of October.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.