In Manchester in what police said could have been “the UK’s most deadly terror attack” have been jailed for life.
Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, arranged for guns to be smuggled into the UK as part of an “Isis-inspired plot”, Preston Crown Court heard.
They were caught by an undercover operative who played a “crucial role” in foiling their plans, Greater Manchester Police said.
Saadaoui and Hussein were given minimum prison terms of 37 and 26 years respectively.
No specific attack target site or date was identified, but prosecutors said the men planned to launch a gun assault on a march against antisemitism by the end of summer 2024, and then head to north Manchester to carry on their killing spree.The court heard how Saadaoui, of Abram, Wigan, aimed to smuggle four AK-47 assault rifles, two handguns and 900 rounds of ammunition into the UK.
The former hotel entertainer who plotted deadly gun attack
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 named Farouk, who was actually an undercover operative.
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 moment police reveal to Saadaoui he has been speaking to an undercover operative
Counter-terrorism police intervened on 8 May 2024, with more than 200 officers involved, as Saadaoui was arrested at a hotel car park in Bolton when he went to collect some of the firearms, which had been deactivated.
Minutes after the hotel car park arrest, Hussein and Saadaoui’s younger brother Bilel Saadaoui, 36, both elsewhere, were also arrested.
The trial heard Walid Saadaoui had been planning to “martyr himself” in the attack.
He had prepared a will and had left a copy with his brother, along with tens of thousands of pounds in cash to help provide for his family.
Hussein declared support for Isis while being questioned by detectives
Walid Saadaoui came to the attention of the authorities when he used 10 Facebook accounts, none of which were in his own name, to spread a torrent of Islamic extremist views.
Farouk was deployed to gain his trust, first online and then later in person.
Walid Saadaoui used one of his fake accounts to join the Facebook group of the Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester which contained details of a “March Against Antisemitism” held in the city centre on 21 January 2024, which thousands of people attended.
Days later he told Farouk: “Here in Manchester, we have the biggest Jewish community.
“God willing we will degrade and humiliate them (in the worst way possible), and hit them where it hurts.”
Mr Justice Wall commended the bravery of Farouk, adding it was “a dangerous and difficult job”.
“He undertook it with great skill and patience,” he said.
“He has potentially saved many lives by putting his own life on the line.”
GMP Police custody image of Bilel Saadaoui. He has short black hair and a long black beard and is wearing a grey top.GMP
Bilel Saadaoui was jailed for six years for failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism
Walid Saadaoui recruited fellow Isis sympathiser Hussein, a Kuwaiti national, who worked and lived at a furniture shop in Bolton to assist his plans.
The pair travelled to Dover, Kent, in March 2024 to conduct hostile reconnaissance on how a weapon could be smuggled through the port without detection.
On his return, Walid Saadaoui travelled to Prestwich and Higher Broughton in north Manchester where he carried out similar surveillance on Jewish nurseries, schools, synagogues and shops.
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