Two Islamic State-supporting fanatics who planned to carry out what could have been Britain's deadliest terrorist attack have been convicted following a major undercover police operation.
Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, were found guilty at Preston Crown Court of preparing acts of terrorism between December 2023 and May 2024. Their plot, inspired by the 2015 Paris attacks, aimed to massacre British Jews in the Manchester area in a twisted act of revenge for Israel's military actions in Gaza.
The Undercover Operation That Foiled the Plot
The conspiracy was dismantled by an 'exceptionally brave' undercover operative, known only as 'Farouk', who infiltrated the cell over six months. The officer duped the plotters into believing a cache of weapons was being smuggled into the UK via a cross-Channel ferry.
Dramatic bodycam footage captured the moment Saadaoui was arrested on May 7, 2024. As he arrived at a hotel car park in Bolton to collect the firearms—which had been deactivated by police—he was grabbed by the back of his T-shirt as he tried to flee across a field. More than 200 officers, some armed, were involved in the takedown. Hussein was arrested simultaneously at his electrical business.
The plotters had requested four AK-47 assault rifles, two handguns, and 900 rounds of ammunition. Saadaoui chillingly told the undercover officer he wanted to 'kill as many as possible', stating the deaths of any Christians caught in the attack would be 'a bonus'.
From Restaurant Owner to Jihadi Mastermind
Tunisian-born Walid Saadaoui had previously run the Albatross Italian restaurant in Great Yarmouth after moving to the UK in 2012. Following his divorce, he moved to Wigan, gave up work, and became radicalised, 'hero-worshipping' Paris attacks mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud.
He operated at least ten Facebook profiles described by detectives as 'the most pro-Islamic State' they had encountered. Saadaoui and Hussein conducted hostile reconnaissance in Jewish communities in North Manchester, visiting synagogues, schools, and a kosher supermarket to plan their attack for the summer of 2024.
In a covert code, Saadaoui referred to weapons as 'goldfinches' and ammunition as 'bird seed'. He had withdrawn £90,000 from the sale of his former business and property, keeping cash in safes, one of which was concreted into a floor.
A Stark Warning on Anti-Semitic Hatred
Following the swift jury verdicts, Assistant Chief Constable Robert Potts of Greater Manchester Police stated the plot 'could potentially have been the deadliest terrorist attack in UK history'. The planned atrocity was compared to the 2015 Sousse beach massacre in Tunisia, where a single gunman killed 38 people.
Saadaoui's brother, Bilel, 35, was also convicted of failing to disclose information about the terrorist plan. He had received a copy of his brother's will and a key to a hidden safe.
Jewish community leaders issued grave warnings in the wake of the convictions. Mark Gardner, chief executive of the Community Security Trust, stated that violent extremists 'don't stop to ask these Jews what their opinion is of Israel… they want to kill Jews, end of story'. The Campaign Against Antisemitism said the case was a reminder that an attack like the recent Bondi Junction massacre in Australia 'could just as easily have happened here in Britain'.
Greater Manchester Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson condemned the 'vicious anti-Semitism' of the plotters, affirming that 'an attack upon our Jewish friends and neighbours is an attack upon us all'.
