Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, have been found guilty at Preston Crown Court of preparing acts of terrorism between December 13, 2023, and May 9, 2024. This plot, described by senior detectives as potentially the UK’s deadliest terror attack, aimed to kill as many Jewish people as possible in a marauding assault across Greater Manchester. A third defendant, Walid’s brother Bilel Saadaoui, 36, was also found guilty of failing to disclose information about the planned attacks.

The two primary conspirators, Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein, were identified as Islamist extremists harboring a “visceral dislike” of Jewish people. Both had sworn allegiance to Islamic State (IS) years prior; the Saadaoui brothers, originally from Tunisia, had committed to IS as young boys, while Hussein, a Kuwaiti national from Kurdish Iraq, had served in Saddam Hussein’s army. They had lived quietly in Britain for years, waiting for what they called “zero hour.” Walid Saadaoui, the “prime mover,” idolized Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the mastermind behind the 2015 Paris terror attacks, and glorified the 9/11 attacks. His antisemitism intensified after the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which served as an inspiration for his own plans in the UK.

Their meticulous plot involved disguising themselves as Jews to infiltrate a march against antisemitism in Manchester city centre, where they intended to open fire on the crowd with assault rifles. Following this, they planned to continue their attack in the suburbs, targeting the heart of the region's Jewish community. Walid Saadaoui even stated his intention to attack Christians, saying, “God willing … after we finish with the Jews … we move on to the crusaders.” The conspirators aimed to throw emergency services into chaos by paying people to make multiple 999 calls across Greater Manchester, enabling their escape to continue the rampage. Their targets included synagogues, schools (such as Lubavitch Boys School, King David School, Tashbar School, Mechinoh L'yeshiva school), nurseries (Habonim nursery), and shops like K Outlet supermarket in areas like Cheetham Hill, Higher Broughton, and Prestwich. They also discussed targeting a Jewish event where Countdown presenter Rachel Riley was scheduled to speak. Walid Saadaoui sought to gather intelligence by joining Jewish Facebook groups under false pretenses, using the name Will Alba to infiltrate groups like 'Manchester Jewish Community'.

The plot was thwarted thanks to a courageous undercover operative (UCO) known as “Farouk,” who had infiltrated jihadist social media networks. Farouk convinced Walid Saadaoui that he was a fellow extremist and could supply the necessary weapons. Saadaoui, a cautious and secretive individual, believed Farouk was divinely sent, paying a £2,250 cash deposit for semi-automatic weapons. Police deliberately prolonged the undercover investigation, despite Saadaoui's earlier incriminating online posts, to build a stronger case and prevent him from being released quickly to pose a greater threat. Farouk maintained the ruse that he could source AK-47s from Morocco until the final stage of the operation. Walid Saadaoui made extensive preparations for his perceived martyrdom, including writing a will, selling his Italian restaurant (the Albatross), placing £74,000 in a safe in his garden, and arranging driving lessons for his wife. He even expressed willingness to leave an AK-47 for his son “so he can do what I do when he grows up.”

The arrest occurred on May 8, 2024, during a police sting operation at the car park of the Last Drop hotel in Bolton. Saadaoui was caught red-handed as he attempted to take possession of what he believed were two assault rifles, a semi-automatic pistol, and almost 200 rounds of ammunition. Unbeknownst to him, the weapons were deactivated. Amar Hussein was arrested at his workplace, a white goods repair shop in Bolton. Police body-cam footage captured Saadaoui running away before being apprehended a short distance away. During the trial, Saadaoui shamelessly lied, claiming he was pressured by IS and intended to sabotage the plot, while Hussein openly admitted to being a terrorist, stating, “Terrorism is our religion… Quran say terrorism is normal… we are proud, we say terrorism is proud.”

Assistant Chief Constable Rob Potts, head of Counter Terrorism Policing in the North West, described Walid Saadaoui as