Two Men Sentenced to Life for ISIS-Inspired Manchester Plot

Two men inspired by the Islamic State group were sentenced to life imprisonment on Friday for plotting a firearms attack on Manchester's Jewish community that authorities described as potentially the deadliest terrorist incident in British history.

Walid Saadaoui, 38, a Tunisia-born resident of Wigan, received a minimum term of 37 years. His accomplice, Amar Hussein, 52, a Kuwait-born man with no fixed address, was given a minimum of 26 years. Both were convicted in December at Preston Crown Court of preparing acts of terrorism between December 13, 2023, and May 9, 2024. A third man, Saadaoui's brother Bilel Saadaoui, 36, also from Wigan, was sentenced to six years for failing to disclose information about the plot during the same period.

The plot centered on acquiring illegal weapons to target Jewish sites and gatherings in Greater Manchester, including areas like Cheetham Hill, Higher Broughton, and Prestwich. Prosecutors said the men intended to smuggle four AK-47 assault rifles, two handguns, and nearly 900 rounds of ammunition into the UK via the Port of Dover. The weapons, which were deactivated in a police sting operation, were meant for a mass shooting at an...