Death threats after he condemned extremism force cleric to flee city
DEATH threats have forced a cleric who spoke out against Islamic extremism at the Manchester Arena bombing inquiry to quit the city.
Mohammed El-Saeiti was the victim of a stream of threats on social media and was confronted by three stalkers near his home.
One of them warned that if he continued to speak out: “You’ll be dead.”
A second man, who appeared to be Libyan, was carrying a rucksack with his hand thrust in his pocket.
Mr El-Saeiti believed the man deliberately mimicked the pose of terrorist 22-year-old Salman Abedi – who killed himself and 22 innocent victims at the Arena when he detonated a rucksack bomb in May 2017.
The three men fled before police arrived.
The terrifying threats happened after the cleric appeared at the inquiry into the atrocity last November.
Mr El-Saeiti won praise from bereaved relatives and survivors for speaking out about the extremist elements he encountered at the south Manchester mosque that Abedi and his brother Hashem attended.
Now the former imam is understood to be moving to a secret location.
A friend commented: “After he gave evidence to the inquiry he had Facebook threats and physical threats.
Suspects
“The three individuals had been watching his house in Manchester and following him.” It is understood police have CCTV images of the three suspects and inquiries are continuing.
A file of evidence on the social media threats is being studied by the Crown Prosecution Service.
As an imam at Didsbury mosque, Mr El-Saeiti’s opposition to extremism provoked outrage in some quarters. He condemned “ghastly crimes” by fanatics in Iraq and Syria.
A petition was launched against him, claiming he was wrong to criticise the actions of “pious revolutionaries”.
It was signed by Abedi’s brother Hashem, 25, currently serving a minimum of 55 years in jail for conspiracy to bomb the Manchester Arena.