By Gloria Ogbonna
Three men have been convicted in the United Kingdom for their roles in a planned, ISIS-inspired terrorist attack that authorities say was intended to target Manchester’s Jewish community in an act of revenge linked to the ongoing Israel–Hamas conflict.
At Preston Crown Court this week, Tunisian migrant Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, were found guilty of preparing an Islamist terrorist act. A third defendant, Bilel Saadaoui, 37—the son of Walid Saadaoui—was also convicted, though not for direct participation in the plot. He was found guilty of failing to disclose information about an act of terrorism, a serious offense under UK law.
Prosecutors told the court that Saadaoui and Hussein were involved in an elaborate plan to smuggle high-powered firearms, including AK-47-style rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, into the United Kingdom.
The weapons were allegedly intended for use in a mass-casualty attack against Jewish targets in the Greater Manchester area. Authorities described the plan as “ISIS-inspired,” motivated by extremist ideology and antisemitic hatred.
According to evidence presented at trial, Saadaoui had used social media accounts under the pseudonym of Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the ISIS terrorist linked to the 2015 Bataclan attacks in Paris. In online posts and private communications, Saadaoui expressed violent extremist views, stating that he wanted to “avenge” Islam against what he described as “the Jews and the Crusaders,” language that prosecutors said mirrored well-known ISIS propaganda.
In 2023, Saadaoui engaged in multiple conversations with an undercover officer posing as an extremist associate using the name “Farouk.” During these discussions, Saadaoui dismissed knife attacks as ineffective, insisting instead that “what is needed is an automatic gun.”
He explicitly referenced past ISIS atrocities, stating a desire to replicate such attacks and boasting about causing mass bloodshed. Prosecutors said he spoke of wanting to kill at least 50 people and described graphic acts of violence intended to terrorize the Jewish community.
Saadaoui also told the undercover officer that he planned to disguise himself as a Jewish person during the attack and believed the operation should take place during a protest against antisemitism, which he described as an “ideal” moment to strike. Investigators said this demonstrated both premeditation and a calculated attempt to exploit public events for maximum impact.
As part of what police described as reconnaissance, Saadaoui and Hussein were seen traveling through heavily Jewish neighborhoods, including Prestwich and Higher Broughton.
During these trips, they passed Jewish schools, nurseries, restaurants, synagogues, and a kosher supermarket. While discussing their plans, Saadaoui made repeated antisemitic remarks and praised Adolf Hitler, further underscoring the ideological motivation behind the plot.
The court heard that Saadaoui later handed over €4,300 to the undercover officer, believing the money would be used to acquire firearms from extremist contacts in Morocco. The officer also introduced Saadaoui to Amar Hussein, whom police described as “like-minded” and eager to take part in the plot.
The operation came to a head in May 2024, when Saadaoui arrived at the car park of the Last Drop Village Hotel in Bolton to collect the promised weapons.
He was immediately arrested after taking possession of two rifles, a semi-automatic pistol, and approximately 200 rounds of ammunition. Unknown to him, all of the weapons had been rendered inoperable as part of a controlled counter-terrorism sting.
Following Saadaoui’s arrest, police searched his home and discovered £74,000 in cash hidden in a safe beneath the floorboards of an outhouse. During his trial, Saadaoui claimed he had been coerced by an ISIS official into posting extremist material online and assisting with attack planning, a claim the jury ultimately rejected.
Amar Hussein was arrested separately and found to have two knives in his vehicle. Although he denied actively seeking weapons for an attack on Jewish people, prosecutors presented evidence of his extremist sympathies.
During testimony, Hussein made inflammatory statements about the conflict in the Middle East and openly admitted to supporting ISIS, describing the group as “real Muslims” who implement Islamic law.
After the verdicts were delivered, Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts praised the work of counter-terrorism officers, calling the case one of the most significant disrupted terrorist plots in the UK in recent years.
“Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein intended to target members of the Jewish community in an evil act born out of hate and intolerance,” Potts said. “Had they succeeded, the consequences would have been devastating and could have resulted in one of the deadliest terrorist attacks ever carried out on UK soil.”
All three men have been remanded into custody and are scheduled to be sentenced at Preston Crown Court in February.
Source Breitbrat
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