Bomb plot fiend who killed 22 facing life
THE brother of suicide bomber Salman Abedi is facing the rest of his life in jail with “blood on his hands” after he was found guilty of the murder of 22 people in the Manchester Arena atrocity.
Hashem Abedi was branded a coward for refusing to step into the dock to hear a jury convict him of the cold-blooded slaughter of men, women and children.
Director of Public Prosecutions Max Hill, QC, said yesterday: “Hashem Abedi encouraged and helped his brother knowing that Salman Abedi planned to commit an atrocity. He has blood on his hands even if he didn’t detonate the bomb.”
Abedi, 22, was in Libya when his older brother committed mass murder by blowing himself up at the end of a concert by US singer Ariana Grande in May 2017.
Appalling
But he was the leading light in the “monstrous” Islamic State-inspired plot, say police.
Abedi bought and stored nails and screws for shrapnel as well as chemicals for a home-made bomb.
The student drop-out also made prototype bomb parts in a shed using cut-up pieces of vegetable oil cans, which had his fingerprints on.
He lamely told the Old Bailey he must have touched them by accident while he was smoking in the shed.
But some of the prints were on the inside of rolled up pieces of metal used to improvise bomb detonators.
Abedi, of Fallowfield, Manchester, denied 22 murders, one count of attempted murder covering all the injured, and one of conspiracy to cause explosions. But he had no answer to the overwhelming evidence, sacked his legal team and withdrew from the trial. One source said: “He’s just a coward.”
Yesterday, victims wept as the Old Bailey jury found him guilty of all charges. Mr Justice Jeremy Baker will sentence him later.
Due to the appalling nature of the crimes, a whole life term, meaning the killer will never be freed, is a real possibility, legal experts said.
Victoria Higgins, of law firm Slater and Gordon, which represented 11 of the bereaved families, said: “They have waited a long time to see Hashem Abedi face justice. The overwhelming emotion for most will be relief he cannot hurt anyone else.
“It has been incredibly painful for them to hear, in detail, what hapspaced
pened to their loved ones and the calculated way in which the Abedi brothers plotted to end their lives.”
Paul Hett, father of Martyn Hett who died in the blast, said: “I would like to thank the police and security services for their patience and diligence in bringing Hashem Abedi back from Libya to face justice which was extremely difficult.
“This verdict will not bring back the 22 victims murdered by Salman and Hashem Abedi, nor will it restore normality to the 22 families whose lives have been shattered by this attack. It will not heal the wounds of the 264 people injured, many of whom have life-changing injuries.
“And it will not help over 670 people who suffered psychological trauma after the attack, many still suffering today. But what this verdict will do is give an overwhelming sense of justice to all those affected by this heinous crime.”
Abedi was arrested in Libya on May 23, 2017 – the day after his older brother killed himself while committing mass murder. He was extradited to Britain last July.
The explosion in the reception area of the Manchester Arena was the bloody climax of months of planning by the killer brothers.
Detonated
Duncan Penny, QC, prosecuting, told the jury: “Hashem Abedi is just as responsible for this atrocity as surely as if he had selected the target and detonated the bomb himself.”
Jurors heard he used fake online accounts to buy chemicals to make the explosive. He had also got an address where the IED could be assembled and stored and bought a car to transport bomb-making gear.
Abedi had no credible answer to the evidence of his guilt and withdrew from the trial. He spent days in the Old Bailey cells after telling the judge he was dehydrated.
He claimed to be allergic to British tap water saying he could only drink filtered bottled water.
The probe included 1.3 million fingerprint comparisons, six million lines of phone data and 65,000 hours of CCTV footage.
Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Barraclough said after yesterday’s verdict the case is still open.
He said: “This has been a threeyear inquiry. It’s been enormous. British justice has been served.
“What would Hashem Abedi have done after that attack, had he not been brought to British justice?”