Two men guilty of terror plot on Jewish people

Two men who planned a terror attack to cause "untold harm" to the Jewish community in Greater Manchester have been found guilty.

Their trial heard Walid Saadaoui, 38, and 52-year-old Amar Hussein arranged for guns to be brought into the UK as part of an "Isis-inspired plot".

The men believed they were planning their attacks with a third man called Farouk who they thought shared their extremist views - Farouk was actually an undercover operative, Preston Crown Court was told.

A third man, Saadaoui's brother Bilel Saadaoui, 36, has been found guilty after failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism.

Walid Saadaoui, of Abram, Wigan, and Amar Hussein, of no fixed abode, prepared the acts of terrorism between 13 December 2023 and 9 May 2024.

The court heard their plan was to get the weapons and ammunition and identify a mass gathering of Jewish people whom they could attack.

They had also identified areas in Greater Manchester with a large Jewish population.

In addition, they intended to kill any law enforcement or police officers who got in their way.

Their plans were laid bare through their communication with Farouk and, as a result, the police were able to thwart them.

Farouk said he would arrange for the weapons to be brought into the country from Europe.

Walid Saadaoui was arrested in a hotel car park in Bolton on 8 May 2023.

The prosecution said two assault rifles, a semi-automatic pistol and nearly 200 rounds of ammunition were found in the vehicle.

However, counter-terrorism police said they were in control of the supply and delivery of the weapons the whole time to protect the public.

Hussein and Bilel Saadaoui, who were both elsewhere, were arrested minutes later.

The trial heard Saadaoui had been planning to "martyr himself", had prepared a will and left a copy with his brother, along with access to his belongings and tens of thousands of pounds in cash to help provide for his family.

Bilal Saadaoui, of Hindley, Wigan, was not planning to take part in the terrorist attacks but knew what his brother was doing and sympathised with the views of the so-called Islamic State.

The trial was shown WhatsApp messages between Bilel Saadaoui and Hussein which "provided a flavour of the views they held about Jewish people".

In one message Bilel Saadaoui had sent Hussein a link to a news report that a number of Jewish people had been killed in a bridge collapse, and he added the hashtag "Beloved Palestine".