Islamist terror suspects ‘plotted mass shooting of Jews in north-west England’, court hears

Two alleged Islamic State-inspired extremists planned to massacre Jews in the north west of England using assault rifles similar to those used in the 2015 Paris terror attacks, according to reports from Preston Crown Court.

As reported by The Telegraph, prosecutors said Walid Saadaoui, 38, from Wigan, and Amar Hussein, 52, of no fixed abode, intended to “kill as many members of the Jewish community as they could, especially those in the north west of England”, hoping to become “martyrs” in an Islamic State-inspired attack.

Opening the case, Harpreet Sandhu KC, prosecuting, told jurors that Saadaoui had arranged for six firearms and nearly 1,000 rounds of ammunition to be smuggled into the UK. He was arrested last May while taking possession of two assault rifles, a semi-automatic pistol and about 200 rounds of ammunition in a Bolton car park.

“These firearms are fierce weapons,” Mr Sandhu said. “They were the type used in many terrorist attacks, including those in Paris in 2015 when approximately 130 people were killed and hundreds injured. The firearms and ammunition Walid Saadaoui was about to receive were capable of causing untold harm. Untold harm was precisely what he had planned to cause together with Amar Hussein.”

Jurors reportedly heard the men had discussed identifying a “mass gathering of Jewish people” and scouting “areas in Greater Manchester with a large Jewish population” for potential attacks. Hussein had also taken photographs of the Manchester Jewish Museum in Cheetham Hill, the court was told.

According to The Telegraph, the pair’s plans were exposed after they were duped by a man they knew as “Farouk” – an undercover operative posing as a fellow extremist – enabling counter-terror police to foil the alleged plot.

Saadoui’s brother, Bilel, 36, also from Wigan, is accused of failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism. While not allegedly involved in the planned attacks, prosecutors said he shared the brothers’ extremist sympathies.

Messages between Bilel and Hussein allegedly revealed a “visceral dislike” of Jews. In one exchange, Bilel sent Hussein a news link reporting Jewish deaths in a bridge collapse, adding the hashtag #BelovedPalestine. Hussein allegedly replied: “Allah is truly vigilant over them.”

“That was not a response in sympathy, but a message that gloried in the death of Jewish people,” Mr Sandhu told the court.

The Telegraph further reported that Islamic State Nasheeds glorifying violence, an image of a masked Hamas gunman, and a video of Bilel’s stepson pretending to shoot targets to an IS anthem were all found on his phone.

Saadaoui had also written a will and left cash for his family, believing he would die as a “martyr”, prosecutors said.

Before proceedings began, Mr Justice Wall told jurors the case had no connection to last week’s fatal knife attack at Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester. “You must try them fairly without reference or thought to what happened there,” he said.

All three defendants deny the charges. The trial, expected to last 12 weeks, continues.