Arena bomb plotter sentenced to life

Convicted murderer Hashem Abedi has been sentenced to life in prison – with a minimum term of 55 years – for his part in the Manchester Arena bombing.

Abedi, now 23, was convicted by a jury in March this year of 22 counts of murder, attempted murder and plotting to cause an explosion likely to endanger life.

Twenty-two people lost their lives in the attack at Ariana Grande’s Manchester Arena concert in May 2017.

Five people from the NorthEast were among those who died. They were; Chloe Rutherford ,17, and boyfriend Liam Curry, 19, from South Shields; Hartlepool-born Jane Tweddle, 51; and Philip Tron, 32, and his partner’s daughter Courtney Boyle, 19, from Gateshead.

Abedi was given a life sentence for each of the 22 counts of murder, with a minimum of 55 years before parole. He may never be released.

The Old Bailey heard Abedi helped source, buy, stockpile and transport components for his older brother’s – Salman Abedi – bomb, using multiple mobile phones, vehicles and addresses to stash the deadly materials.

Jurors were then shown chilling CCTV footage of Sal man travellingto the foyer of the arena, before detonating his bomb as crowds were leaving the concert.

The defendant, who travelled to Libya the month before the bombing, was arrested hours after the attack and was extradited back to Britain last summer.

Mr Justice Jeremy Baker said on Thursday that the defendant and his brother were “equally culpable” for the deaths.