Two men who planned to target the Jewish community in Manchester in what police described as potentially “the UK’s most deadly terror attack" have been sentenced to life imprisonment.
The two, aged 38 and 52, were convicted of preparing an "ISIS-inspired plot" after arranging for firearms to be smuggled into the UK, Preston Crown Court heard. The plot was foiled by an undercover operative who played a crucial role in stopping the attack, according to Greater Manchester Police.
The two men received minimum prison terms of 37 and 26 years, respectively. While no specific target or date was identified, prosecutors revealed that the men intended to launch a gun assault during a march against antisemitism scheduled for the end of summer 2024. They planned to continue their attack in north Manchester.
During the sentencing, Mr. Justice Wall stated: "I am sure this would have led to the deaths of many people and serious injuries to many, many more." He added that the plot involved the two men who were convicted and two others discharging AK-47s into a defenseless crowd, with plans for additional ammunition.
One of the men aimed to smuggle four AK-47 assault rifles, two handguns, and 900 rounds of ammunition into the UK. He had paid a deposit for the weapons and believed he had arranged their importation with an extremist named Farouk, who was actually an undercover operative.
The man had planned to "martyr himself" in the attack, preparing a will and leaving money for his family. Authorities became aware of him after he used multiple fake Facebook accounts to spread extremist views. He also joined a group linked to a Jewish community march, where he discussed plans to target the Jewish population in Manchester.
The first man recruited the second, a Kuwaiti national who worked in a furniture shop in Bolton, to assist in his plans. The pair traveled to Dover in March 2024 to conduct reconnaissance on how weapons could be smuggled into the UK without detection. They also carried out similar surveillance on Jewish locations in north Manchester.
(Arutz Sheva-Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)