Two men have been sentenced to life imprisonment for plotting an Islamic State-inspired gun attack targeting Jewish communities in Greater Manchester.
Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, were convicted of preparing acts of terrorism after planning a mass shooting using automatic rifles.
At sentencing, Mr Justice Mr Justice Wall told Saadaoui he had shown no remorse. Saadaoui was jailed for life with a minimum term of 37 years, while Hussein received a life sentence with a minimum of 26 years.
The court heard the pair were inspired by the 2015 Paris attacks and by calls to violence issued by Islamic State following the outbreak of war in Gaza. They planned to use AK47-style rifles to attack Jewish marchers, synagogues and schools.
“You intended to target the Jewish community,” the judge said. “Your plan envisaged discharging automatic weapons into a large crowd of unarmed and defenceless people.”
Prosecutors said the men had conducted reconnaissance, identified targets and arranged the purchase of firearms and ammunition. However, the supplier was an undercover officer, known to the defendants as “Farouk”, who had infiltrated extremist networks.
Harpreet Sandhu KC told the court the defendants were prepared to kill several hundred people and that, if carried out, the attack would have been one of the deadliest in UK history.
Saadaoui was arrested in May 2024 as he attempted to collect weapons and ammunition at a hotel car park in Bolton. Hussein was arrested separately at his electrical business.
The pair were found guilty in December at Preston Crown Court after a trial lasting almost three months.
Saadaoui’s brother, Bilal Saadaoui, was sentenced to six years in prison for failing to disclose information about terrorism.
Following the verdicts, Greater Manchester Police said the plot had come close to being carried out and posed an unprecedented threat to public safety.
Assistant Chief Constable Robert Potts said the planned attack could have been the most serious act of terrorism in the UK involving firearms.
The court also heard that Saadaoui had posted extremist material online and joined Jewish community groups on social media to monitor potential targets.
Both men were convicted of preparing acts of terrorism between December 2023 and May 2024. The judge said the sentences reflected the scale of the planned violence and the risk posed to the public.