Extremists caught with weapons for attack, trial is told

MEN BOTH DENY PLOTTING ACTS OF TERRORISM AGAINST JEWISH PEOPLE

- By JOHN SCHEERHOUT

TWO men who plotted to kill 'as many Jews as possible' in Manchester after amassing a huge arsenal of guns and ammunition were thwarted by an undercover officer, a jury has been told.

One of them Waalid Saadaoui was caught 'red-handed' by counter terror cops with an arsenal of weapons when they swooped on a car park in Bolton on May 8, 2024.

The 38-year-old, of Crankwood Road, Abram, Wigan, and Amar Hussein, 52, of no fixed abode, deny terror charges

Opening the case for the prosecution at Preston Crown Court yesterday, Harpreet Sandhu KC told a jury: "On May 8, 2024, Waalid Saadaoui was standing by the open boot of car in a hotel car park in Bolton. He was approached by police officers. He ran away."

After the jurors were shown a clip of the defendant fleeing from police, the KC went on "Why was Walid Saadaoui in that hotel car park? Why was Walid Saadaoui at the boot of that car?

"Why did he run away from the police officers? The police officers who chased and then arrested (him) were counter-terrorism officers. In the car Walid Saadaoui ran away from were two assault rifles, a semiautomatic pistol and almost 200 rounds of ammunition.

"Waalid Saadaoui had arranged and paid for those firearms and ammunition to be smuggled into the country and delivered to him. He was taking possession of those firearms when the police approached him."