Two Iranian nationals who arrived in the United Kingdom on small boats have been charged in relation to an alleged terror plot targeting locations in Manchester, court officials announced. Salam Ahmadyan, 36, from Liverpool, and Rahman Salehi, 34, of Salford, were arrested on September 20 and subsequently charged with conducting preparatory acts connected to terrorism.

Authorities say the pair identified the Jewish Museum and Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester as potential targets. Both men appeared before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, where they confirmed their identities with the assistance of interpreters—Ahmadyan through a Farsi interpreter and Salehi through a Kurdish interpreter.

District Judge Nina Tempia ordered the men to be held in custody pending a further hearing scheduled for October 23. The arrests were conducted under the auspices of Counter Terrorism Policing, which took the suspects into custody during an operation in Manchester.

Details surrounding the investigation have not been fully disclosed, but the charges reflect serious concerns about planned terrorist activity within the UK. The case remains under active investigation as authorities prepare for the next stage of judicial proceedings.