UK Terror Plot Foiled: Survivor's Unsettling Discovery

A survivor of the 2025 Manchester synagogue attack has expressed deep concerns about safety in the UK after uncovering details of a foiled terror plot. Yoni Finlay, who was shot by police during the 2025 Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation incident, learned he could have been targeted in an earlier, far more deadly, extremist plan.

Walid Saadaoui and Amar Hussein were found to have orchestrated an Isis-inspired plot aiming for what prosecutors called "the UK's most deadly terror attack." Their plan involved smuggling guns into the country to launch a gun assault on a march against antisemitism in the summer of 2024, followed by attacks on Jewish communities in north Manchester.

Finlay himself had attended the 2024 antisemitism march in Manchester, unaware of the imminent danger. He only discovered the foiled plot after being hospitalized for his injuries from the 2025 attack. "An undercurrent of hate" and antisemitism have made him feel unsafe, impacting his son, who has faced threats and abuse for being visibly Jewish.

Despite these fears, Finlay remains determined not to let hatred prevail. Saadaoui and Hussein were sentenced to life imprisonment, with minimum terms of 37 and 26 years respectively, for preparing acts of terrorism. Bilel Saadaoui received a six-year sentence for failing to disclose information about terrorism.