Overview

• Jurors at Preston Crown Court heard from an undercover operative known as Farouk, who said he exchanged Arabic messages with Walid Saadaoui via a Facebook account bearing Abdelhamid Abaaoud’s image.
• Farouk testified that Saadaoui wrote he wanted to use an automatic gun to kill as many people as possible and praised the Paris attacks as a “great event.”
• The judge ordered co‑defendant Amar Hussein out of the dock after an outburst during the evidence, and the 12‑week trial is continuing in his absence.
• Prosecutors allege the defendants prepared terrorist acts between December 13, 2023 and May 9, 2024, including arranging firearms, conducting reconnaissance and making plans of attack targeting Jewish communities in North West England.
• Jurors were told Saadaoui was arrested in May 2024 and that two assault rifles, a semi‑automatic pistol and about 200 rounds of ammunition were found in his car; all three defendants deny the charges.