Two Islamist extremists who plotted a mass-casualty attack on England’s Jewish community—aiming to kill hundreds with automatic weapons—have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Prosecutors warned the plan could have eclipsed even last December’s deadly shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney.

Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, were convicted following a trial at Preston Crown Court, which began just days after an unrelated fatal attack on Yom Kippur at a nearby shul in Manchester.

Prosecutors said the pair were inspired by the ideology of ISIS and were preparing to carry out a coordinated assault on Jewish targets using automatic firearms, with the explicit goal of inflicting mass casualties.

On sentencing, Judge Mark Wall said the defendants were on the brink of unleashing large-scale violence.

“You were very close to being ready to carry out this plan,” Wall told the court.

Saadaoui was handed a minimum term of 37 years in prison, while Hussein received a minimum sentence of 26 years.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)