Two men were found guilty on Tuesday of plotting an Islamic State-inspired mass shooting aimed at killing hundreds of Jews in England, in what authorities described as one of the most serious terrorist threats faced by the country in recent years.
The convicted men, Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, were found guilty at Preston Crown Court of preparing terrorist acts. Prosecutors said the pair were driven by extremist ideology and planned to carry out a gun attack using automatic weapons to kill as many members of the Jewish community as possible.
Counter-terrorism officials said the plot, if carried out, could have become the deadliest terrorist attack in British history. Assistant Chief Constable Robert Potts, head of counter-terrorism policing in northwest England, said the men were determined to cause mass casualties and viewed it as their “duty” to do so.
The convictions come amid heightened global concern about Islamist extremist violence, following recent deadly attacks targeting Jewish communities, including a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney earlier this month that killed 15 people. Although the Islamic State did not formally claim that attack, it praised it as a “source of pride,” raising alarm among security agencies.
Prosecutors told the court that Saadaoui had arranged for two assault rifles, an automatic pistol, and nearly 200 rounds of ammunition to be smuggled into the UK through the port of Dover. He also planned to acquire additional weapons and ammunition. Unbeknownst to him, the individual he believed was supplying the weapons was an undercover officer, meaning the plan was stopped before it could be executed.
Evidence showed that Saadaoui admired Islamic State militants involved in previous mass-casualty attacks, including the 2015 Bataclan attack in Paris. Investigators said he rejected less lethal methods, such as knives or vehicles, because he wanted to cause maximum harm.
Hussein did not testify during the trial and was largely absent from proceedings. On the first day, he made remarks referencing the war in Gaza. Both men denied the charges, with Saadaoui claiming he participated out of fear.
Saadaoui’s brother, Bilel Saadaoui, 36, was also convicted of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts, although prosecutors said he was reluctant to become involved in the attack.
Security officials warned that while Islamic State no longer controls territory as it did a decade ago, the group and its affiliates are increasingly using online propaganda to radicalise individuals abroad. British intelligence services say the threat of Islamist-inspired attacks is growing again, with dozens of plots disrupted in recent years.
“Terrorism breeds in dark corners of the internet where extremist ideologies meet vulnerable individuals,” MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said previously, underscoring the continuing challenge faced by security agencies.
