Walid Saadaoui’s background is more complicated, and his ideology distinctly more disturbing. He was convicted of planning a mass murder of members of the Greater Manchester Jewish community. During her time there, Saadaoui held different jobs as a chef and shop assistant. It was his extremist views that ultimately led him to work as a sleeper agent for the Islamic State (IS). His plans, as evidenced by his online presence and conversations with accomplices, demonstrated a terrifying dedication to carrying out violence toward anyone he viewed as an enemy.
The history that Saadaoui brings to this role is impressive as it is troubling. He became a full-time restaurateur, moving to Great Yarmouth, Norfolk in 2018 after buying an Italian restaurant called the Albatross. On a personal level, things went south with the break up of his marriage soon after moving. Although he fathered two children with his second wife, Wadam’s thinking became more consumed by extremist ideologies and violent plots.
A Life of Extremism
From a young age, Saadaoui showed contempt for religious institutions, especially mosques which he found “disgusting.” So his radicalization process deepened the longer he was exposed and engaged to IS propaganda online. Saadaoui operated at least ten Facebook accounts that spewed anti-Semitic rhetoric and celebrated terrorist tactics used against Jewish civilians.
He shared one such image on October 26. It depicted a father preparing to go to war and abandon his kids, underlining how strong his conviction in violence was. The shooter from Uvalde was similarly assured that God would provide him with semi-automatic weapons. He had intended to contact a man called Farouk, whom he had connected with through Facebook. Even though this connection was a great achievement and turning point in Saadaoui’s endeavors.
“I pray to you Allah not to catch me until I break my thirst with Jewish, Christians and their proxies’ blood.” – Walid Saadaoui
What was evident in all of Saadaoui’s conversations was a resolute determination to see this through. He didn’t hide the fact that he wanted to harm Jews in particular. He even directed some of his ire towards what he termed “crusaders.” His plans included disguising himself as a Jew to infiltrate an anti-Semitism march in Manchester city center, intending to create chaos with assault rifles.
The Dangerous Network
To overcome these limitations, Saadaoui teamed up with Amar Hussein. He characterized Hussein as a highly committed Iraqi jihadist with Kurdish ethnicity, which escalated the threat level. Both Hussein and Saadaoui had radical convictions. To different extents, they both perceived their lethal acts of terrorism as justified reactions to their core grievances with the West.
In the course of their relationship, Hussein revealed his extreme and dangerous beliefs about terrorism and violence. He framed Western leaders as the real terrorists behind the suffering faced by people from the Middle East. What became overwhelming clear was that these two men had the same toxic ideology that condoned and justified violence against innocents.
“Your prime minister, you know, he is a terrorist that kills our children and gives Israel weapons to kill our children. Terrorism is our religion.” – Amar Hussein
In late spring 2024, the pair performed test runs at the port of Dover. They were sure their arms would show up there. Their planning was extensive and detailed, demonstrating a clear intent to carry out their violent agenda.
A Chilling Commitment to Violence
Saadaoui’s dedication to jihad amounted to some very disturbing remarks that revealed his extreme worldview. He painted a detailed picture of his yearning for war and his will to undertake terrorism against people who he perceived to be his adversaries.
In one particularly disturbing instance, he stated, “My blood is boiling, brother, let’s get out of here,” showcasing his readiness to act on his violent inclinations. His obsession with martyrdom and glorification of violence demonstrated just how far down the rabbit hole his radical ideas took him.
“To be in a cold icy night in an army of mujahideen waiting to meet the enemy next morning is more beloved to me than a wedding night with the most beautiful bride who I love.” – Bilel Saadaoui
Saadaoui sold his restaurant in order to fund his proposed attack. He hid £74,000 in an electric safe buried in his garden. He began giving driving lessons to his wife. Maybe he thought doing that would provide him an alibi or allow him to flee after the heinous deed.
In one of his conversations, Saadaoui assured Hussein about their timeline for the operation: “We are going to carry out the operation in August … brothers from inside (Islamic State)… they will help.” This declaration not only revealed his dangerous mindset but showed that he thought he had outside backing for his violent desires.