Adversary Intelligence — 2026-10-26

Two Iranians Set for Trial Over Iran-Directed Plot Targeting Jewish Sites in Manchester

BLUFProsecution claims of an Iran-based handler directing the plot will face their first real test at the April 2027 preparatory hearing, where disclosed evidence could reshape UK-Iran diplomatic and security calculations.

Rahman Salehi, 34, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, appeared at the Old Bailey on Friday charged with preparing acts of terrorism, and their lawyers said both will plead not guilty, Reuters reported 1. Judge Cheema-Grubb remanded them in custody and set trial for June 15, 2027 at Manchester Crown Court, with a preparatory hearing on April 16, according to ITV News 2. Prosecutor Lyndon Harris said police saw the men photographing and filming Jewish sites in Manchester on the eve of Yom Kippur, and that a third party believed to be in Iran supplied instructions for a chlorine and brake fluid bomb 1. Prosecutors named Heaton Park Synagogue, site of the October 2, 2025 attack that killed two worshippers, and the Manchester Jewish Museum as alleged targets 12. ITV and the Jewish Chronicle add that the men arrived illegally by small boat and were arrested September 20 23.

Analysis
The case now enters a nine-month pretrial phase, so the open question is what evidence the Crown will disclose about the Iran-based handler, whom prosecutors have not tied to any Iranian state body. The April 16, 2027 preparatory hearing is the first point where the Crown's theory of direction and coordination can be tested in open court. The handler may instead be a freelance or criminal intermediary, and the defendants may have acted on their own initiative, which the long pretrial period could bring out. Naming Heaton Park Synagogue, site of the fatal October 2025 attack, as a target carries symbolic weight, so security posture at Manchester Jewish sites needs to stay elevated until the trial concludes. Confidence is high: Reuters and ITV News report the hearing independently, the court record on dates and charges is consistent, and no account contradicts it.

4 sources

Iranian men to go on trial next year over alleged plot to target UK Jewish community - Reuters (via Internazionale)
Trial date set for Iranian men accused of identifying synagogue for bomb plot - ITV News Granada
Trial date set for Iranian men accused of identifying Heaton Park Synagogue for second terror attack - The Jewish Chronicle
Two Iranians to Stand Trial in UK Over Alleged Terror Plot Targeting Jewish Sites - Shabtab News