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<\/a><\/p>\nThree men have been convicted in connection to a failed antisemitic terror plot in Manchester, England. (Greater Manchester Police)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, were both found guilty of preparing terrorist acts between December 2023 and May 2024. Saadaoui\u2019s brother, Bilel Saadaoui, 36, was found guilty of failing to disclose information about an act of terrorism.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors told jurors that Saadaoui and Hussein had \u201cembraced the views\u201d of Islamic State and had a \u201cvisceral dislike\u201d of Jewish people.<\/p>\n
By the time of his arrest in May 2024 following an undercover operation, Saadaoui had arranged the purchase and delivery of two assault rifles, an automatic pistol and almost 200 rounds of ammunition for the attack. The pair had planned to infiltrate a march against antisemitism in the Manchester city center before unleashing their attack.<\/p>\n
\u201cWalid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein intended to target members of the Jewish community in an evil act born out of hate and intolerance,\u201d said Assistant Chief Constable Robert Potts, who is in charge of Counter-Terrorism Policing in northwest England, in a statement. \u201cIf they had been successful then what followed would have been devastating and potentially one of the deadliest terrorist attacks to ever take place on UK soil.\u201d<\/p>\n
The convictions come as threats associated with the Islamic State appear to be on the rise. Earlier this month, two men who authorities said were motivated by \u201cIslamic State ideology\u201d killed 15 people after opening fire on a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney.<\/p>\n
In October on Yom Kippur, another man who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State carried out an attack on a Manchester synagogue during which two people were killed.<\/p>\n
Last week, three Toronto men, including one with alleged links to ISIS, were arrested for allegedly attempting kidnappings targeting Jews and women.<\/p>\n
Ken McCallum, the head of Britain\u2019s domestic intelligence agency MI5, said in October that MI5 and British police had \u201cdisrupted 19 late-stage attack plots\u201d since 2020.<\/p>\n
\u201cAl Qaeda and Islamic State are once again becoming more ambitious, taking advantage of instability overseas to gain firmer footholds,\u201d said McCallum. \u201cThey are both personally encouraging and indirectly inciting would-be attackers in the West.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following the convictions Tuesday, the Anti-Defamation League called for \u201cvigilance\u201d from governments and local law enforcement.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile some plots are thankfully thwarted, others are not, including the recent terror attack in Bondi Beach,\u201d the ADL wrote in a post on X. \u201cThe threat of antisemitic terrorism is real and ongoing and vigilance by governments and law enforcement agencies is crucial to keep Jewish individuals and institutions safe globally.\u201d<\/p>\n