Overview

• A jury of 14 was sworn at Preston Crown Court for a trial expected to last up to 12 weeks, with Mr Justice Wall presiding and the panel to be reduced to 12 after openings.
• Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, deny preparing terrorist acts between December 13, 2023 and May 9, 2024, while a third defendant, Bilel Saadaoui, 36, pleads not guilty to failing to disclose information.
• Opening the case, prosecutor Harpreet Sandhu KC said police video shows Walid Saadaoui fleeing a Bolton hotel car park where officers found two assault rifles, a semi-automatic pistol and about 200 rounds, with more weapons and 700-plus rounds allegedly en route.
• The Crown alleges the pair planned to identify mass gatherings of Jewish people in Greater Manchester to cause mass fatalities and to kill any intervening police, with their plans revealed through communications with an undercover contact called Farouk.
• Proceedings were briefly halted after an outburst from Hussein, and the judge instructed jurors that a recent Manchester synagogue attack is irrelevant to this case and must not feature in their deliberations.