A group of two men have been convicted of planning an Islamic State-inspired 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” but the plot was scuppered as they unknowingly laid bare their scheme to an undercover operative (UCO).
Walid Saadaoui gave no reaction to the verdict and bowed his head as the verdict was read out.
Main instigator 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.
More to follow…
Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein have been found guilty
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PA