British police foil suspected plot targeting Manchester Jewish community

The arrests came nearly a year after two worshippers were killed in a terrorist attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in Manchester.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

British counterterrorism police arrested two men in their 30s on suspicion of plotting an attack against the Jewish community in the Manchester area, saying an extended investigation had disrupted the suspected plan and there was no continuing threat connected to the case.

The suspects were arrested in the city on the eve of Yom Kippur on suspicion of offenses under British terrorism law.

They were subsequently transferred to a police station in London.

Authorities obtained warrants Tuesday allowing the men to remain in custody until next Sunday as investigators continue examining the alleged plot.

Police also searched several addresses in Liverpool and Salford, near Manchester, as part of the investigation.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Vicki Evans, the national coordinator for counterterrorism policing, said the arrests followed a lengthy operation aimed at preventing an attack.

“This was a proactive and lengthy investigation, which led to the disruption of what we believe was a plot to target the Jewish community in the Manchester area,” Evans said.

Police acknowledged that news of the suspected plot was likely to cause additional concern among local Jews, particularly during the Jewish holiday period.

Evans said, however, that authorities do not believe there is an ongoing threat to the public related to the investigation.

The arrests came nearly a year after two worshippers were killed in a terrorist attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue in the Crumpsall neighborhood of north Manchester.

Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, were killed in the Oct. 2, 2025, attack. Three other people were seriously wounded.

That attack involved a vehicle-ramming and stabbing near the synagogue. Police officers who responded to the scene shot and killed the attacker.

The investigation into the two men arrested in the latest suspected plot is expected to continue in the coming days.