In a courtroom at last, Manchester bomber’s brother
THE brother of the Man- chester Arena bomber appeared in court yesterday after a secret mission to deliver him to justice in the UK. Dressed in grey prison-issue sweatshirt and white tracksuit, hashem Abedi listened as the names of the 22 victims were read out.
the 22-year-old – the brother of suicide bomber Salman Abedi – was flown back to Britain in a private jet on Wednesday in a mission shrouded in secrecy. Born in Manchester, he fled to Libya before the atrocity in which pop fans were killed as they left a concert. At Westminster Magistrates’ Court yesterday, hashem Abedi stood in silence with his hands behind his back as the victim list was read out.
Prosecutor Kathryn Selby said he has been charged with one count of murder for each victim – plus one count of attempted murder in relation to those who were injured, and one count of conspiring with his brother to cause explosions.
hashem Abedi was accused of helping purchase chemicals and buying a car to store them ahead of the attack carried out by his older brother as pop fans left an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017.
the court heard that 260 people were seriously injured, including those with ‘life- changing’ injuries, when Salman, 22, detonated a device made from triacetone triperoxide (tAtP). At least 600 people reported psychological harm, the court was told. the prosecutor said: ‘It is alleged that hashem Abedi’s role was in the purchase of precursor chemicals to make tAtP.
‘he, along with his brother, are said to have purchased sulphuric acid and made further attempts, and carried out the purchase of hydrogen peroxide on more than
‘Helped buy and store chemicals’
one occasion. ‘ he also purchased the Nissan Micra used to store the chemicals, and items such as shrapnel.’ She said Abedi was alleged to have handled ‘detonator tubes’ and been ‘ present in properties where the tAtP substance was made’.
A bespectacled hashem Abedi, flanked by two prison guards and two police officers, spoke only to confirm his British nationality, age and name. But his barrister, Zafar Ali QC, said the defendant denied all the charges against him.
he said Abedi was arrested by the Special Deterrence Force, a ‘notorious militia’ more commonly known as RADA, in Libya on May 23, 2017 – the day after his brother carried out the bombing.
‘Since that day he has been kept in solitary confinement, he has been tortured by that militia, and forced under extreme duress to sign a 40page confession relating to these offences,’ he said.
‘When he was arrested in tripoli he wanted to come back to the UK. he did not oppose extradition.
‘he wanted to come back to clear his name.’ Chief magistrate emma Arbuthnot remanded Abedi in custody ahead of a bail hearing at Oxford Crown Court on Monday. there will be a preliminary hearing at the Old Bailey on July 30.
Britain made an extradition request in October 2017. Victims’ families feared the process was delaying the start of inquests into their relatives’ deaths.