‘I warned police of bomber’s rape gang’
POLICE have been accused of ignoring a warning bomber Salman Abedi had links to a “rape gang” with terrorist connections.
Abedi, 22, was teenage pals with Bilal Ahmed, jailed last year for his part in the gang rape of a 16-year-old girl.
The suicide bomber behind Monday’s Manchester Arena attack, in which 22 people were killed, had been photographed sitting with Ahmed as teenagers in Manchester.
In 2013, Ahmed and two friends took turns raping a schoolgirl they lured into a hotel room during a game of hide and seek.
Last night, the mother of their victim, who cannot be named, said she reported members of the group, including Abedi, to police last year.
She said they failed to follow up her lead because they were “under-resourced”.
The mum said known extremist Abdullahi Ahmed Jama Farah was another associate of the killer.
Farah was jailed last year after creating a terrorist “communications hub” in his mother’s house in Fallowfield, Manchester.
The rape victim’s 50-year-old mum, from Cheshire, said: “The moment I heard Salman’s name, I just knew it. I just had a feeling that there would be a link.
“They are all friends, they are all connected. Jama hung around with those who raped my daughter and obviously so did this person responsible for the attack on the Arena.
“They are all bad eggs. They are all connected. They are all rotten. They are all friends and they are ending up terrorists and rapists. I can’t understand why the police can’t follow it up.
“I was watching TV when I saw that Jama had been convicted of terrorism. I knew he hung around with the gang who raped my daughter and I thought, ‘Blimey, if he is a terrorist, then others in the group could be too’.”
She added: “I phoned the terror police and reported it. This was February last year.
“I phoned the same officer I reported it to and confronted him on Tuesday on this. He said he remembered speaking to me about it.
“I looked the gang up on Facebook when I saw that Jama had been convicted and they had all put an emblem up on their profiles like some kind of gang solidarity with Jama. At the time it made me think that another one could go on to commit a terrorist act and Salman clearly has.” The mother has spoken out to encourage others to report any suspicions about potential extremists. She added: “People are scared to say stuff like this as they are scared of being called racist. “After reporting it I wasn’t convinced police did anything. “Now I see Salman, who clearly hung around with them, has become a suicide bomber. “They are not acting on it due to their lack of resources.” The rape victim was a gifted musician who was introduced to the group through a mutual friend. The mob forced her into an unlocked hotel room and took turns raping her, for which Ahmed and two other men, then all aged 20, were jailed for a total of 31 years. We contacted Greater Manchester Police but they declined to comment.