Two men convicted of plotting gun attack on mass gathering of Jewish people

Two extremists have been convicted of plotting a gun attack on a mass gathering of Jews in the Manchester area.

Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, had a ‘visceral dislike’ of Jewish people and wanted to cause ‘untold harm’.

Both men are extremists who embraced the views of Islamic State (IS) and were prepared to risk their own lives, the court heard during their trial.

But their plot was thwarted after they unknowingly laid bare their violent plot to an undercover operative (UCO).

Saadaoui aimed to smuggle four AK-47 assault rifles, two handguns and 900 rounds of ammunition into the UK in what police chiefs said could have been Britain’s deadliest terrorist incident.

Months earlier the father-of-two, originally from Tunisia, paid a deposit for the weapons and believed he had arranged for their importation with a like-minded extremist but who in fact was the UCO, referred to in court as Farouk.

Saadaoui told Farouk he could independently obtain a firearm via Sweden and indicated he was looking to bring guns from eastern Europe.

Separately he had bought an air weapon and had visited a shooting range.

The pair were found guilty at Preston Crown Court on Tuesday afternoon.

This is a breaking news story. It is being updated.

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