A jury at Preston Crown Court has convicted two men of orchestrating an Islamic State-inspired mass shooting targeting the Jewish community in Greater Manchester.
Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, were found guilty of preparing acts of terrorism between December 2023 and May 2024. Walid’s brother, 36-year-old Bilel Saadaoui, was also convicted of failing to disclose information about the plot. Senior police officials described the foiled plan as potentially the deadliest terrorist incident in British history, designed to cause "slaughter" on a scale similar to the 2015 Paris attacks.
The 10-week trial detailed how Walid Saadaoui and Hussein planned a "marauding" gun attack against synagogues, schools, and a mass "March Against Antisemitism." The pair conducted extensive reconnaissance in Jewish neighbourhoods such as Prestwich and Higher Broughton and travelled to the Port of Dover to monitor security.
Unbeknownst to them, they were being tracked by an undercover operative known as "Farouk," who posed as a weapons dealer. Saadaoui had even sold his home and business to fund the purchase of military-grade hardware, including AK-47 assault rifles and thousands of rounds of ammunition.
The operation reached its climax on May 8, 2024, when armed officers arrested Walid Saadaoui in a Bolton hotel car park as he attempted to collect what he believed was a shipment of firearms. Although the weapons provided in the sting were deactivated, Saadaoui had already prepared a will and set aside £74,000 in cash for his family, intending to die during the attack.
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson praised the "unprecedented complexity" of the investigation, which prevented the terrorists' hatred from manifesting in physical violence. The three men have been remanded in custody and will be sentenced at Preston Crown Court on February 13, 2026.