Hearing into the death of Arena bomber put back
AN inquest into the death of Manchester Arena bomber, Salman Abedi, has been adjourned until October.
Abedi, 22, detonated a rucksack bomb in a foyer area of the venue on May 22 last year after an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people and injuring many hundreds more.
Fiona Borrill, acting senior coroner for Manchester, presided over a hearing lasting just a matter of minutes today. She cited the ‘live’ police investigation still under way into the terror attack as one of the reasons a full inquest hearing could not yet be held.
Only the coroner, court staff and three members of the press were present at Manchester Coroner’s Court for the pre-inquest review, which was over in five minutes.
Ms Borrill said the chief coroner had now decided that an experienced, retired judge should preside over inquests for the 22 who died in the attack, as well as that of Abedi, but no-one has yet been appointed to the role.
A further delay was resolved this week, the coroner said, with a change in the law involving the Investigatory Powers Act, allowing the retired judge appointed to deal with ‘sensitive’ evidence concerning national security issues.
The judge is set to be appointed in autumn. Ms Borrill meanwhile adjourned inquest proceedings for Abedi until October 19, when a further preinquest review would be held. No relatives of victims were present. Anti-terror detectives have named the bomber’s brother, Hashem Abedi, as a suspect and are seeking his extradition from Libya to face investigation in the UK. Should he be brought to Britain, all inquest proceedings would be suspended until the outcome of any criminal trial, the coroner said. Inquest proceedings into the deaths of the 22 victims of the attack were postponed at the hearing earlier this month, with another pre-inquest review listed for October 5.