UK police say they have thwarted plot to attack Jewish community

British counter-terrorism police said on Tuesday they had arrested two people as part of an investigation into a suspected terrorist plot to target the Jewish community in northern England.

Police said the two men, aged in their 30s, were arrested in central Manchester on Sunday under counter-terrorism legislation, with searches also carried out in Salford and Liverpool.

"This has been a long-running proactive investigation which has led to the disruption of what we believe to be a plot to target the Jewish community in the Manchester area," Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said in a statement.

She said detectives did not believe that there was any ongoing threat, but police in Manchester said they had stepped up a policing operation during the upcoming Jewish High Holy Days.

The two men were being held in custody in London while further investigations are being carried out.

Jewish community faces renewed security concerns in Manchester

Almost a year ago, two Jewish worshippers were killed in an attack on a synagogue in Manchester during Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, which was committed by a British citizen of Syrian descent who had said he was acting for Islamic State.

"We are acutely aware this news will cause further concern to the Jewish community, as well as the wider public, especially given the significant High Holy Day period," Evans said.

"I want to reassure them we are working incredibly closely with colleagues in Greater Manchester Police and partners to ensure we’re doing everything we can to keep them and the wider public safe."

Antisemitism rises sharply across Britain since October 7

Britain has seen a significant rise in antisemitism since the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023, which triggered the subsequent war in Gaza.

There was a spate of arson attacks on targets linked to the Jewish community in London earlier this year, while in April two Jewish men were stabbed in what police said was a suspected terrorist incident.

That led Britain to raise its national terrorism threat level to "severe," with then-Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying the country's 290,000 Jews were living in fear.