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Jewish community leaders have expressed gratitude toward the police and an undercover agent whose efforts prevented a gun attack that could have caused significant harm. Walid Saadaoui, aged 38, and Amar Hussein, aged 52, were convicted at Preston Crown Court after attempting to smuggle firearms into the UK as part of an extremist plot inspired by ISIS. Their plans were exposed when they confided in a third man, known as Farouk, whom they mistakenly believed shared their radical views—only to find out he was an undercover operative.
Raphi Bloom, representing the Jewish Council of Greater Manchester, commended Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and security services for their “tireless work… to keep our community safe.” He emphasized the urgent need to confront the underlying causes fueling radicalization in the UK, particularly those targeting the Jewish population. Bloom criticized the government and the Charity Commission for being slow to address extremism and warned that without action, similar attacks would continue to be orchestrated.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis strongly condemned antisemitic terrorism, highlighting recent attacks such as those against Manchester’s Jewish community on Yom Kippur and a Chanukah celebration in Sydney. Jarvis declared, “Antisemitism will never have any place in our society and we are absolutely determined to stamp it out wherever it exists.” He also praised the police and the Crown Prosecution Service, noting that their work “has saved lives and made all of us safer.”
Greater Manchester’s Chief Constable, Sir Stephen Watson, added his praise for the counter-terrorism efforts, stating that the offenders’ “visceral dislike” for Jewish people was clear throughout the trial. He expressed hope that the verdict would reassure the wider community that justice was served and highlighted the dedication of law enforcement in preventing the planned attacks. GMP revealed that Saadaoui, from Abram in Wigan, had aimed to conduct what could have been among the deadliest terrorist strikes in UK history. His extremist views surfaced through multiple false Facebook profiles, and after gaining Saadaoui’s trust online and in person, the undercover operative helped to thwart the plot. Saadaoui had recruited fellow sympathizer Hussein, a Kuwaiti resident working in Bolton, to assist in his plans to target the Jewish community in Manchester
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