Solidarity and vigilance in British Jewish community targeted by Islamic State plot
An Islamic State sleeper cell targeted a Greater Manchester Orthodox Jewish community with a plot intended to kill as many Jews as possible. Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein have been convicted of terrorism offences related to this plot.
The Hershel Weiss centre, which serves about 650 families, launched the Spread a Little Light initiative for Hanukah to bolster community cohesion. Despite the threats, community resilience persists, supported by strong cross-faith ties, with residents refusing to be afraid and focusing on daily life.
Local security efforts include Salford Shomrim, a volunteer group capable of reaching an incident within two minutes, and a 24-hour hotline reporting a surge in calls about suspicious activity.
According to CST data from 2024, there were 175 anti-Jewish hate incidents with explicit far-right motivation, while Islamist extremism accounted for 65 referrals to Prevent. Officials have urged action against Islamist extremism, calling for a new UK extremism strategy and emphasizing careful language to distinguish ideology from people.
