Manchester bomber ‘did not act alone’
Police want to quiz mass-murder monster’s brother
POLICE suspect Manchester bomber Salman Abedi had help to murder 22 innocent people.
They want to question his brother Hashem, who is being held in Libya.
Abedi caused carnage when he blew himself up at an Ariana Grande concert on May 22. More than 250 people were injured.
Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson, head of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, said yesterday: “We don’t have evidence of a large network. We do, however, suspect others were aware or complicit in the knowledge of this attack.”
Anti-terror officers arrested 22 people after the atrocity. All were released without charge.
But police have not ruled out more arrests. Areas they are investigating include who, if anyone, taught Abedi to build a bomb, who knew of his plan and how the plot was financed.
Mr Jackson confirmed: “We want to speak to Hashem Abedi and we are engaging with the Crown Prosecution Service and the Libyan authorities.”
Reports from Libya last month suggested Hashem had admitted helping his older brother prepare for the attack. The family are originally from Libya but fled to the UK during Muammar Gaddafi’s dictatorship.
Abedi’s father Ramadan, 51, who is also being held in Libya, returned to fight the regime during the uprising in 2011.
Mr Jackson said Manchester-born Abedi, 22, had been to north Africa several times. Police are investigating whether he received terror training and how he was radicalised.
Abedi walked around the city with the bomb in a rucksack for several hours before the attack, but police believe the arena was always his target. Officers are trawling through 16,000 hours of CCTV and analysing 755 statements.