Counter-terrorism officers have disrupted an alleged plot targeting Manchester’s Jewish community, with two men arrested on Sunday in what police are describing as a significant operation.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed the arrests, with counter-terror units moving in on Sunday to detain the two suspects. While full details of the alleged plot remain limited, authorities were clear that the Jewish community in Manchester was the intended target.
The arrests have sent shockwaves through Manchester’s Jewish community, which has already been navigating a difficult climate of heightened tensions and rising antisemitic incidents across the UK in recent years. Community leaders have been in contact with police following the news.
Counter Terrorism Policing North West, which covers the Greater Manchester area, led the operation. Officers in this unit deal with the most serious and sensitive threat cases in the region, and a disruption of this nature signals that investigators believed the threat was credible enough to warrant immediate action.
The two men remain in custody as investigations continue. Police have not yet confirmed the specific nature of the alleged plot, what stage it had reached, or whether any weapons or materials were recovered during the arrests.
Manchesterhas one of the largest and most established Jewish communities outside of London, with a history stretching back centuries. The community has its own schools, synagogues, cultural centres and organisations spread across areas including Prestwich, Whitefield and Salford.
The timing of the disruption comes against a broader national backdrop of concern over antisemitic hate crimes, which have spiked sharply in England since the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East in October 2023. The Community Security Trust, a charity that monitors antisemitism and provides security for Jewish communities across Britain, has recorded record levels of incidents over the past 18 months.
Police have urged the public to remain calm but vigilant, and have asked anyone with information relevant to the investigation to come forward. The investigation is described as ongoing, and further arrests have not been ruled out.
Security presence around Jewish community sites in Manchester is expected to be reviewed in light of the arrests, though police have stopped short of saying there is any remaining active threat to the public.
The case is being handled as a terrorism matter, meaning the suspects can be held for an extended period under UK counter-terrorism legislation while officers carry out their inquiries.
More details are expected to emerge in the coming days as police work through the evidence gathered during the operation.