Undercover sting prevents mass slaughter as court exposes chilling plan to attack antisemitism march.
Two men have been sentenced to life imprisonment after plotting what police described as potentially “the UK’s most deadly terror attack,” targeting the Jewish community in Manchester.
The pair, aged 38 and 52, were convicted at Preston Crown Court of preparing an ISIS-inspired gun assault. According to Greater Manchester Police, the plot was disrupted thanks to an undercover operative who infiltrated their plans.
Mr. Justice Wall told the court he was certain the attack “would have led to the deaths of many people and serious injuries to many, many more.” Prosecutors revealed the men intended to open fire with AK-47 rifles during a march against antisemitism in late summer 2024 before continuing attacks in north Manchester.
One of the conspirators attempted to smuggle four AK-47 rifles, two handguns, and 900 rounds of ammunition into the UK, paying a deposit to an individual he believed was an extremist facilitator — who was in fact an undercover operative. He prepared a will and funds for his family, intending to die in the assault.
The second man, recruited to assist, helped conduct reconnaissance in Dover and survey Jewish sites in north Manchester.
The court imposed minimum terms of 37 and 26 years respectively, underscoring the gravity of a plot that could have devastated an entire community.
