British counter-terrorism police said on Tuesday that they had arrested two people as part of an investigation into a suspected terrorist plot to target the Jewish community in northern England.

Police said the two men, both in their 30s, were held in central Manchester on Sunday, with searches also carried out in Salford and Liverpool.

“This has been a long-running proactive investigation which has led to the disruption of what we believe to be a plot to target the Jewish community in the Manchester area,” Vicki Evans, Senior National Coordinator for Counter Terrorism Policing, said in a statement.

She said detectives did not believe that there was any ongoing threat, but police in Manchester said they had stepped up a policing operation over the Jewish High Holy Days.

“We are pursuing a number of lines of enquiry, and we anticipate these will continue over the coming days as this investigation continues,” Evans said.

Sunday night marked the beginning of Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Last year, Melvin Cravitz, 66, and Adrian Daulby, 53, were killed in an attack on a synagogue in Manchester on Yom Kippur that was committed by a British citizen of Syrian descent who had said he was acting for Islamic State.

“We are acutely aware this news will cause further concern to the Jewish community, as well as the wider public, especially given the significant High Holy Day period,” Evans said.

“I want to reassure them we are working incredibly closely with colleagues in Greater Manchester........

© The Times of Israel