LONDON (AP) — Two Iranian men conducted surveillance of a Manchester synagogue that was the site of a deadly attack a year ago as part of a plot to bomb it this year, a prosecutor said Saturday.
Salam Ahmadyan, 36, and Rahman Salehi, 34, researched attacking the Heaton Park Congregation Synagogue in Manchester in northwest England and the Jewish Museum in nearby Cheetham Hill, the court was told.
Ahmadyan and Salehi were arrested last month and charged Friday with engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts.
Neither entered a plea during an appearance in Westminster Magistrates’ Court, where Judge Nina Tempia ordered them held until an Oct. 23 appearance at the Central Criminal Court in London.
Prosecutor Mark Luckett said the duo were directed by a third person believed to be in Iran who coordinated plans and provided instructions on making a homemade chlorine bomb.
The defendants were observed carrying out "a hostile reconnaissance within Manchester’s Jewish community," Luckett said.
The Heaton Park synagogue was the site of an attack on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, on Oct. 2, 2025, when Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, crashed his car into the gates and then began a knife attack while wearing a fake suicide belt.
Congregation members Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, died in the attack and three other men were seriously wounded. Al-Shamie, who allegedly pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, was killed by police.
Ahmadyan and Salehi entered the U.K. without authorization in the past six years after crossing the English Channel by boat, the court was told. Salehi was granted asylum and Ahmadyan has a pending asylum claim.
Vicki Evans, senior national coordinator of counterterror policing, said the plot was believed to be isolated and there was no ongoing public threat. She also said it was unconnected to a suspected terror plot at U.S.-runRAF Fairford air base, which some officials have said was linked to Tehran.
“I’m aware that the news of this alleged plot coming during the High Holy Day period has caused a great deal of concern," Evans said. “It also coincides with the anniversary of the devastating terrorist attack last year at Heaton Park synagogue and comes in a wider context of increasing antisemitic incidents across the U.K., so we are very aware that this will likely increase what were already heightened concerns amongst the Jewish community."
This is a court artist sketch by Elizabeth Cook of Iranian nationals of Salam Ahmadyan, 36, left, of Liverpool and Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford who have been remanded in custody after appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Saturday morning, Oct. 3, 2026, charged with preparation for terrorist acts over an alleged bomb plot against the Jewish community in Manchester. (Elizabeth Cook/PA via AP)
CAIRO (AP) — The co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of an Israel-bound flight with an ax and trying to seize the controls was an Omani national who had been barred from flying on his country’s airline because of concerns about extremist views, officials said Saturday.
The co-pilot has been identified as Hamam al-Hammami, according to three people with knowledge of the situation, including a Gulf and a Western diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The United Arab Emirates, which is leading the investigation, said the co-pilot attacked with the cockpit’s crash ax and tried to take control of the plummeting plane in a “terrorist attack" Wednesday. His actions nearly crashed the flight with 182 people on board before passengers and others rushed in and subdued him.
The new details raised questions about how thoroughly FlyDubai vets potential employees, and how the co-pilot's presence on a flight filled with Israeli passengers got past Israel's strict security protocols.
Israel has said it has agreements with foreign carriers to keep pilots of nations without diplomatic ties from flying there. Israel and Oman don’t have formal diplomatic relations. The UAE government has earned a reputation for effective measures against extremist activities but has bristled in the past over criticism of security lapses.
The incident occurred at a sensitive time for Israel, a week before the anniversary of the Hamas-led attack on Oct. 7, 2023, that sparked the war in Gaza. It also came weeks before a highly contentious election in which security, and Oct. 7 security failures, have been central issues.
Separately, a regional official and a person familiar with the matter said the co-pilot had been barred from flying by Oman over concerns that he had adopted extremist views. The official said he was moved to an administrative job at Oman Air. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation. They gave no details about the alleged extremist views.
The co-pilot was later hired by UAE-based airline FlyDubai, the person said. It wasn't immediately clear to what extent the co-pilot was vetted. The Gulf diplomat said he had undergone standard security checks before being hired, but it appears that the checks focused on whether he had been convicted of criminal charges and didn’t go deeper into examining his background for potential signs of radicalization.
The regional official also said security agencies from four regional countries were working to establish the co-pilot’s motives, aided by the United States and other Western governments. The Gulf diplomat said the investigation, which hasn't concluded, hasn’t found any connections with militant groups, suggesting that the co-pilot acted on his own.
The regional official said the co-pilot was born in the UAE and his mother is Syrian. He obtained Omani nationality from his father, also an Omani national. The regional official also said the co-pilot had traveled to Syria, with no details.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday said the co-pilot had undergone “Islamist radicalization,” but provided no evidence. There was no immediate comment Saturday from Israel’s government.
A FlyDubai spokesperson said in an email that the airline could not comment beyond its official statements and acknowledged “there are many questions at this stage.” There was no immediate comment from Oman Air, and Oman’s government has said nothing publicly in response to repeated questions since the incident.
In a statement to The Associated Press, Royal Air Maroc, Morocco's national carrier, said the co-pilot "completed a three-month theoretical training period with the airline in 2025, as part of the pre-employment process. At the end of this training period, his application was not selected for employment.” There were no details.
Keith Coles, a spokesperson for Buckinghamshire New University in England, told the AP that al-Hammami previously completed a distance-learning course in aviation management there but “did not undertake any pilot training.” There were no details on the timing.
Little else was immediately known about the co-pilot’s background. His Instagram account was active until the day of the flight and then deleted.
Airlines are generally required to carry crash axes in the cockpit that could be used in an emergency to break open a window to escape or break open a panel to access a fire.
The captain, who was badly wounded, has said he used his remaining energy while being attacked to unlock the cockpit door, allowing people who had noticed alarming sounds to come in, tackle the co-pilot and stabilize the flight while passengers screamed.
The plane made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after a descent so extreme that part of the rudder was torn away, and aviation experts have marveled that it didn't crash. FlyDubai has said crew traveling on the plane helped to stabilize it and land. They haven't been publicly identified.
Both the captain and co-pilot were later taken to the UAE. The passengers, most of them Israeli, flew home later Wednesday on a separate plane, to cheers.
Mednick reported from Tel Aviv, Israel, and Anna from Jerusalem. AP Washington bureau chief Anna Johnson in Washington, aviation writer Josh Funk and reporter Sam Metz in Jerusalem contributed.
Israeli passenger Yaniv Hayoun, with blood stains on his shirt, who was aboard a Flydubai aircraft that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, is welcomed at the arrivals gate at Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Tomer Appelbaum)
Passengers who experienced an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, during a flight on FlyDubai plane, arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport, near Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)
This screengrab from Narendra Modi YouTube Channel shows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking with FlyDubai pilot Capt. Smit Machchhar on Friday, Oct. 2, 2026. (Narendra Modi YouTube Channel via AP )
An FlyDubai plane carrying Israeli passengers who had earlier been aboard another FlyDubai aircraft that made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia approaches Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv, Israel, Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
