Pair plotted ‘mass fatalities’ with gun attack on Jewish people, court hears

Two Islamic extremists planned to cause “untold harm” and “mass fatalities” with a gun attack on Jewish people, a court has heard.

Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, were said to have a “visceral dislike” of Jews and are alleged to have plotted to kill as many as they could, especially in the north west of England.

But police were able to thwart their plans becoming a tragic reality as they unknowingly laid bare their scheme to an undercover operative, a jury at Preston Crown Court was told.

Opening the case on Wednesday, prosecutor Harpreet Sandhu KC said Walid Saadaoui was arrested by counter-terrorism officers at a hotel car park in Bolton, Greater Manchester, on May 8 last year.

Inside the boot of his car were two assault rifles, a semi-automatic pistol and almost 200 rounds of ammunition, he said.

The Crown said they were delivered to him after they were smuggled into the country and that he had arranged for the arrival of a further two assault rifles, another pistol and at least 700 more rounds of ammunition.

Mr Sandhu said: “Those firearms are fierce weapons. The assault rifles are capable of firing several hundred rounds of ammunition per minute.

“They are the type of firearms used in many terrorist attacks, including attacks in Paris in 2015 when approximately 130 people were killed and hundreds of people were injured.

“Walid Saadaoui was about to receive those firearms and that ammunition because he and Amar Hussein were planning terrorist attacks.

“They planned to kill. They planned to cause mass fatalities. In particular, they planned to kill as many members of the Jewish community as they could, especially those in the north west of England.

“Their plan was to get the weapons and ammunition and identify a mass-gathering of Jewish people whom they could attack.

“They had also identified areas in Greater Manchester with a large Jewish population to attack.

“In addition, they intended to kill any law enforcement or police officers who got in their way.”

The court heard that images of the Manchester Jewish Museum were found on Hussein’s phone – one capturing the outside of the building in Cheetham Hill and one inside.

Both men were extremists who embraced the views of so-called Islamic State (IS), said Mr Sandhu, and were prepared to risk their own lives.

A third defendant, Bilel Saadaoui, 36 – Walid Saadaoui’s brother – was not planning to take part in the terrorist attacks but knew what his brother was up to and was also a sympathiser of IS, said the prosecutor.

Mr Sandhu said that Walid Saadaoui, in preparing to “martyr himself”, had prepared a will and left a copy with his brother, along with access to his belongings and tens of thousands of pounds in cash to help provide for his family.

Mr Sandhu’s address to the jury was earlier interrupted by an outburst from Hussein who repeatedly shouted: “Don’t talk shit.”

From the dock, Hussein added: “How many children? How many babies?”

Trial judge Mr Justice Wall asked the jury to leave the courtroom before he later apologised for the “disturbance” as the case resumed.

He told them Hussein did not wish to return in court for the rest of the prosecution opening.

When the jury was sworn in, Mr Justice Wall said the background of the case was “coincidental” to last week’s attack at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation Synagogue in Crumpsall, Manchester.

He said: “It is no part of the prosecution’s case that any of these defendants had anything to do with what happened in the synagogue in Manchester last week.

“You must try them fairly without reference or thought to what happened there.

“For the purposes of this trial, it is irrelevant.

“You are here to try the defendants fairly on the evidence.”

Walid Saadaoui, of Abram, Wigan, and Hussein, of no fixed address, deny preparing acts of terrorism between December 13 2023 and May 9 2024.

Bilel Saadaoui, of Hindley, Wigan, has pleaded not guilty to failing to disclose information about acts of terrorism in the same period.

The trial, estimated to last up to 12 weeks, continues on Thursday.