British prosecutors unveil a foiled ISIS-inspired plot to slaughter hundreds of Jews in northwest England using smuggled assault weapons, echoing the 2015 Paris attacks.
In a harrowing revelation that underscores the rising tide of antisemitic terror in Europe, British prosecutors have exposed an ISIS-inspired plot to massacre Jews in northwest England — a planned atrocity intended to mirror the 2015 Paris attacks.
Standing trial at Preston Crown Court, Walid Saadaoui (38), Amar Hussein (52), and Bilel Saadaoui (36) face terror-related charges that have sent shockwaves through Britain’s Jewish community. Prosecutors allege the men conspired to “kill hundreds of innocent people”, plotting a mass-casualty assault using smuggled assault rifles, an automatic pistol, and ammunition.
According to Prosecutor Harpreet Sandhu, the group’s intent was unambiguous:
“Untold harm was precisely what Walid Saadaoui had planned to cause, together with the defendant Amar Hussein.”
Investigators revealed that the plotters sought to attack a large Jewish gathering, coordinating with an accomplice they believed to be named “Farouk.” In a dramatic twist, “Farouk” was an undercover operative, whose infiltration led to the suspects’ arrests in May 2024, just as more weapons were en route to Britain.
Prosecutors allege the men also planned to ambush police responders, ensuring maximum chaos and civilian deaths. Bilel Saadaoui, though not directly involved in the logistics, allegedly sympathized with ISIS ideology and was tasked with supporting Walid’s family if the attack succeeded — suggesting he expected his brother to die a “martyr.”
All three men have pleaded not guilty, with the trial expected to span 12 weeks.
British Jewish organizations have expressed outrage and deep concern, calling the case “a stark reminder that violent antisemitism is not confined to the Middle East but festers in our own backyards.”
The UK’s Community Security Trust (CST), which monitors antisemitic threats, warned that “the line between online hate and physical terror is rapidly disappearing.”
As Israel continues to battle Islamist extremism at its borders, this UK case lays bare the global reach of jihadist ideology — a reminder that the war against antisemitic terror is borderless, ideological, and ongoing.
