Two IS sympathizers have been found guilty of plotting a brutal terror attack targeting Manchester’s Jewish community. Greater Manchester Police said that Preston Crown Court had upheld the charges against Walid Saadawi (38) and Amr Hussain (52). Police said that if the attack had been carried out, it would have been the most powerful terrorist attack in UK history.
They planned suicide attacks targeting Jewish schools, places of worship and public gatherings. There were also deals to buy four AK-47 rifles, two handguns and 1,200 rounds of ammunition. The attack was planned to be carried out in ‘revenge’ for Israeli attacks in Gaza. Saadawi, who was immersed in IS propaganda, also expressed his desire to emulate Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the mastermind of the 2015 Paris terror attacks. They worked in secret, dressed as Jews and monitored areas. They also targeted police and emergency services.
The attack was foiled by a major police operation called ‘Operation Catogenic’. Saadawi was arrested in a hotel car park in Lancashire while handing over weapons. His brother Bilel Saadawi was also found guilty of concealing information about the terror plot.
Walid Saadawi, a former hotel entertainer of Tunisian origin, was married to a British woman and was granted permission to live in the country. He was determined that he could not retaliate against Israel’s military operations in Gaza with just a knife. He told fellow terrorist Farouk that he needed an automatic rifle .
However, Amar Hussein, an immigrant who had accompanied them in the plot and supported the Islamic State, was actually undercover police. This led to the collapse of the terror plot.
Police were waiting for him in the car park of a Spa hotel in Lancashire in May last year to buy weapons. Days earlier, Sadouwi and Hussein had targeted Jewish community centres in North Manchester. This included nurseries, schools, restaurants, coffee shops and even a synagogue. One suspect told police that terrorism was their religion and that it was normal according to the Quran . The depth of the terror is illustrated by the fact that he even said that they were proud of it.
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