An Islamic State-inspired terror plot to carry out a mass shooting at a Jewish march in Manchester has been foiled following a major undercover police operation. Two men, who had lived as 'sleeper agents' in the UK for years, were in the final stages of preparing what senior detectives described as potentially the worst terrorist attack the country had ever seen.
The Chilling Plan for a 'Pogrom'
Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, planned to disguise themselves as Jewish people to infiltrate a march against antisemitism in Manchester city centre. Their intention was to then open fire on the crowd using assault rifles.
To create chaos and aid their escape, they conspired to pay individuals to make multiple 999 calls across Greater Manchester, diverting emergency services. The pair aimed to then move to suburban areas with large Jewish communities to continue their attack. Saadaoui also explicitly stated his desire to later target Christians, whom he referred to as 'crusaders'.
The plot was halted thanks to the courage of an undercover counter-terrorism operative, known only as 'Farouk'. Saadaoui was captured in a hotel car park in Bolton on 8 May 2024, while Hussein was arrested at the appliance repair shop in Bolton where he worked.
The 'Sleeper Agents' and Their Dark Ideology
On the surface, Walid Saadaoui appeared to be a settled family man. A father of two originally from Tunisia, he was a former holiday resort entertainer and chef who owned a restaurant in Great Yarmouth. He was not known to the security services and had never been referred to the Prevent programme.
Beneath this facade, however, was a committed Islamic State extremist. Saadaoui and his younger brother, Bilel, had pledged allegiance to IS as teenagers in Tunisia. They used marriages to British women as a route into the UK, all while hiding their extremist beliefs from their partners.
Saadaoui idolised Bataclan terrorist Abdelhamid Abaaoud and used multiple Facebook accounts to spread antisemitic hate and IS propaganda. The Hamas attacks of 7 October 2023 further inflamed his desire to act. Five days later, he bought an airgun for training.
He recruited Amar Hussein, a Kurdish Iraqi with former military training, who wept with joy at the prospect of joining the plot. Hussein was described as volatile and had previously threatened someone by declaring, "I am Daesh [IS] and I came to you with slaughter."
The Undercover Sting That Stopped 'Zero Hour'
In December 2023, Saadaoui began communicating online with 'Farouk', believing him to be a fellow IS sympathiser who could source weapons. This was a critical ruse by counter-terrorism police, who needed to prevent Saadaoui from obtaining guns from other sources, such as Albanian gangsters.
Saadaoui paid a £2,250 cash deposit and he and Hussein conducted multiple reconnaissance trips to the port of Dover in spring 2024, where they believed their 'goldfinches' – codenamed AK-47s – would arrive from Morocco.
By May 2024, they believed 'zero hour' was imminent. Saadaoui had written a will, sold his restaurant, and buried £74,000 in a safe in his garden. He had also begun scouting Jewish areas in north Manchester, telling Farouk, "My blood is boiling, brother, let's get out of here."
The operation reached its climax at the Last Drop Village hotel in Bolton. Saadaoui was arrested expecting to collect live firearms, which had in fact been deactivated by police.
Following a three-month trial at Preston Crown Court, Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein were convicted of preparing acts of terrorism. Bilel Saadaoui was found guilty of failing to disclose information about terrorist acts. The case reveals the persistent threat posed by secretive IS networks operating within the UK.
