LONDON — Two men were convicted on Tuesday for plotting an Islamic State-inspired attack on the Jewish community in northwest England, aiming to kill hundreds using automatic firearms.

Walid Saadaoui, 38, and Amar Hussein, 52, were found guilty of preparing terrorist acts at Preston Crown Court, in a trial that began just a week after an unrelated deadly attack on a synagogue in nearby Manchester.

The convictions come shortly after a shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, where 15 people were killed in another apparent IS-inspired attack, raising global concerns about increasing antisemitism.

During the trial, Saadaoui pleaded not guilty, telling jurors, “I had no intention to carry out a terrorist attack or hurt anybody,” claiming he played along out of fear for his life.