Two Iranian nationals charged over alleged terrorism plot targeting Jewish community in England

British police said Friday that they had charged two Iranian nationals accused of plotting a terrorist attack against the Jewish community in Manchester on the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Rahman Salehi, 34, and Salam Ahmadyan, 36, were charged with “engaging in conduct in preparation for terrorist acts” on or before September 20, according to a British police statement.

The two men had allegedly been in contact with an overseas third-party who might be in Iran in relation to the plot, the Metropolitan Police said.

Salehi and Ahmadyan had components for manufacturing an improvised explosive device and conducted reconnaissance for potential targets, according to the statement.

On Monday, police arrested five British nationals in connection with a massive security operation near a base used by the U.S. Air Force to facilitate strikes on Iran, the counterterrorism officials running the operation said.

The five men, all from London and in their early to mid-20s, were arrested Sunday on suspicion of terrorism and explosives offenses after three suspicious vehicles were seen moving toward RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force station about 90 minutes west of London.

The men were released on bail, but police arrested a dual U.K.-Iranian national Thursday in relation to the incident.

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Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Wednesday there are strong indications that Tehran played a part in the security incident outside the air base.

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Iran has denied any involvement.

Vicki Evans, the senior national coordinator for counterterrorism policing, said the alleged plot in Manchester was not linked to the incident at the airbase.

“This week also brought into sharp focus some of the wider threats being projected into the UK from Iran,” Evans said in the statement. “While this incident and the investigation into the RAF Fairford incident are not connected in any way, I want to reassure the public that CTP, working with our national security partners, are using the full range of our capabilities to protect the UK from any hostile acts.”