ISIS Plotter Sought Mass Slaughter Of UK Jews In Gun Attack

ISIS Plotter Sought Mass Slaughter Of UK Jews In Gun Attack

Walid Saadaoui, 38, left, and Amar Hussein 

A fanatical ISIS supporter plotted to unleash Britain’s worst-ever terror atrocity, boasting of plans to “kill as many as possible” in a gun massacre targeting Jews in Manchester, a court has heard.

Walid Saadaoui, a Tunisian-born former hotel entertainer who settled in the UK after marrying a British woman, was convicted of preparing a terrorist attack after police intercepted his plot before weapons could be obtained.

In chilling messages and voice notes sent to an undercover police operative posing as an arms dealer, Saadaoui openly fantasised about mass murder, saying knives or vehicles were “ineffective” and that only automatic weapons could deliver the bloodshed he desired.

“We must run rivers of their impure blood,” he said in a Christmas Day voice note, adding that any Christians killed would be “a bonus.”

Saadaoui and fellow extremist Amar Hussein carried out hostile reconnaissance of Jewish targets across North Manchester — home to Britain’s largest Jewish community outside London — scouting schools, nurseries, synagogues, cafes and restaurants.

The plot unravelled in May last year when Saadaoui drove to a Lancashire hotel car park to collect what he believed were automatic firearms and more than 900 rounds of ammunition. Armed officers arrested him moments before the handover. The weapons had been rendered safe by police.

Amar Hussein

Investigators said Saadaoui idolised ISIS-linked Paris attacks mastermind Abdelhamid Abaaoud and sought to replicate the scale of carnage seen in major European terror attacks.

Police uncovered £90,000 in cash, safes buried in the ground, a handwritten will, and evidence that Saadaoui had joined Jewish community pages online to stalk potential victims.

His brother, Bilel Saadaoui, was convicted of failing to disclose information about the plot.

Greater Manchester Police said the attack could have eclipsed every terror atrocity in modern British history.

All three men face sentencing in February.

Key Takeaways

• ISIS supporter Walid Saadaoui planned a mass shooting targeting Jews in Manchester

• Plot included scouting schools, synagogues and businesses; automatic weapons sought

• Attack was stopped at the point of a staged weapons handover by undercover police

SOURCE:  Daily Mail