Attack Plot on "Yom Kippur".. The UK Charges Two Iranian Men

- Two Iranian men have been charged with terrorism offenses in connection with an alleged plot to attack the Jewish community in Manchester on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism, in the latest incident in a wave of anti-Semitic attacks in the UK this year. The Metropolitan Police revealed the identities of the suspects, who are Salam Ahmadian (36) from Liverpool and Rahman Salehi (34) from Salford; they were arrested on September 20 - the eve of the holiest days in the Jewish faith - a year after a deadly attack targeted a Jewish synagogue in Manchester.

The police stated that they were charged with "engaging in preparatory acts of terrorism" on Friday. Authorities also reported that the two men had allegedly been in contact with a third person believed to be in Iran regarding the alleged plot.

The National Counter Terrorism Coordinator, Vicky Evans, said that these "charges and allegations are extremely serious and have come as a result of a joint investigation conducted by the Counter Terrorism Unit in close collaboration with our partners in the security services." Evans added that the investigation helped thwart what is believed to have been a plan targeting the Jewish community, while also noting that authorities do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public related to that attempted attack.

These charges come a year after a deadly attack involving a car-ramming and stabbing outside a Jewish synagogue in Manchester, which resulted in the deaths of at least two people. They also come just one day after another Iranian national holding British citizenship was arrested on suspicion of involvement in terrorism offenses linked to an alleged plot to target a British airbase used by the US military in Fairford, western England.

The 25-year-old was arrested in the Westminster area of London, following a statement by British Prime Minister Andy Burnham indicating "strong indications" of Iran's involvement in the incident, which the Iranian government denied. Authorities stated that they do not believe there is a connection between the airbase incident and the recent attempted attack targeting the Jewish community in Manchester.

The United Kingdom has witnessed a wave of anti-Semitic attacks this year, including assaults on Jewish temples and other community buildings; following this, the British government announced the deployment of additional police forces to protect areas with a Jewish majority across the country.