Walid Sadaoui once worked as a holiday entertainer, hosting dance shows and quizzes at a resort in his native Tunisia. After moving to the UK and marrying a British woman, he became a restaurateur and a keen keeper of birds.
However, at all times – as the Guardian’s Community Affairs Correspondent, Chris Osuhexplains – he was hiding a secret: he had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
On Friday, Sadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussain, 52, were jailed for life for carrying out what is considered one of the worst terror attacks in the UK. They planned a devastating attack on Greater Manchester’s Jewish community. Unbeknownst to them, a fellow IS supporter involved in their plot – known by the codename ‘Farooq’ – was actually an undercover police officer.
Sadaoui’s younger brother, Bilel Sadaoui, was jailed for six years for failing to disclose information about the plan.
He spoke to Osuh, who was covering the investigation Helen Pid How the plot unfolded and how it affected one of the world’s largest Jewish communities.
