Two men have been sentenced to life in prison for plotting a terrorist attack targeting Jewish communities in Greater Manchester, which was thwarted by an undercover operative. Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, were found guilty of preparing acts of terrorism between December 2023 and May 2024. The plot, which involved plans to use semi-automatic rifles and a pistol, was described by police as potentially the deadliest terrorist attack in UK history.
Saadaoui, from Abram, Wigan, was ordered to serve a minimum of 37 years, while Hussein, of no fixed address, received a minimum of 26 years. Saadaoui's younger brother, Bilel Saadaoui, 37, of Hindley, Wigan, was sentenced to six years for failing to disclose information about the plan. All three had denied the charges in a trial lasting almost three months.
The court heard that Walid Saadaoui, a former Italian restaurant owner, had sworn allegiance to Islamic State and arranged for the purchase of weapons from an undercover operative known as Farouk. The operative infiltrated jihadist networks and convinced Saadaoui he was a fellow extremist. Saadaoui was arrested on 8 May 2024 at the Last Drop hotel in Bolton as he attempted to take possession of two assault rifles, a semi-automatic pistol, and nearly 200 rounds of ammunition, which had been deactivated.
The pair planned to disguise themselves as Jews and attack an antisemitism march in Manchester city centre before targeting suburbs north of the city, home to one of Europe's largest Jewish communities. Saadaoui had been considering a lone knife attack for years but escalated his plans after the outbreak of war in Gaza in October 2023. He recruited Hussein, a Kuwaiti national believed to have served in Saddam Hussein's army, to assist.
Sentencing, Mr Justice Wall said the plot would 'likely have been one of the deadliest terror attacks ever carried out on British soil', with plans to use AK-47s on unarmed marchers. Assistant Chief Constable Robert Potts praised the undercover operative's 'courage, bravery and professionalism', stating that he 'undoubtedly saved lives'. Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson noted that Jewish communities in the UK 'put up with a way of life that nobody else has to put up with' and have 'more justification to be fearful than anybody else'.
