Two men found guilty of Manchester plot to kill as many Jewish people as they could'

"Two men have been found guilty of plotting to kill as many Jewish people as they could, in what detectives believe would have been the UK's worst terror attack if it hadn't been thwarted. Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, have been found guilty at Preston crown court of preparing acts of terrorism between 13 December 2023 and 9 May 2024. Jurors were told they were Islamist extremists with a visceral dislike of Jewish people who planned a marauding attack in Greater Manchester."

"But the man supplying them with the weapons was an undercover operative. The operative, known to them as Farouk, had infiltrated jihadist social media networks and convinced the prime mover in the plot, Saadaoui, that he was a fellow extremist. Saadaoui was arrested in a police sting as he attempted to take possession of two assault rifles, a semi-automatic pistol and almost 200 rounds of ammunition at the car park of the Last Drop hotel in Bolton on 8 May 2024."

"The weapons were of the type used in Paris in 2015 when approximately 130 people were killed and hundreds of people injured in a terrorist attack. A third defendant, Walid's brother Bilel Saadaoui, 36, was found guilty of failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism on the same dates. Walid Saadaoui, of Abram, Wigan, Bilel Saadaoui, of Hindley, Wigan, and Hussein, of no fixed abode, denied the allegations in a trial lasting almost three months at Preston crown court."

Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, were convicted at Preston crown court of preparing acts of terrorism between 13 December 2023 and 9 May 2024 after planning a marauding attack aimed at killing as many Jewish people as possible in Greater Manchester. The pair arranged purchase and delivery of AK-47 semi-automatic rifles, conducted reconnaissance and identified targets, but the weapons supplier was an undercover operative known as Farouk. Saadaoui was arrested in a sting at the Last Drop hotel car park in Bolton on 8 May 2024 while taking possession of rifles, a pistol and nearly 200 rounds. A third defendant, Bilel Saadaoui, was convicted for failing to disclose information. The Saadaoui brothers had sworn allegiance to Islamic State before coming to the UK, and Hussein had also sworn allegiance and previously served in Saddam Hussein's army.

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