Arena bomber brother avoids inquiry date by flying out of UK
THE brother of the Manchester Arena bomber has left the UK before a hearing he had been ordered to attend this week at the inquiry into the atrocity.
Ismail Abedi, 28, has refused to engage with the public inquiry, it was told, out of concern he could incriminate himself by answering questions about his brother, Salman, whose suicide bomb killed 22 people in 2017.
He had been served with a legal notice requiring him to appear before a hearing tomorrow, but yesterday the inquiry was told he was now overseas.
Paul Greaney QC, addressing Sir John Saunders, chairman of the inquiry, said there was “no indication when” Ismail Abedi would return.
Mr Greaney said: “As he surely must understand, if he does not do so, the public may infer that he has something to hide and so, sir, may you.”
The bomber’s older brother had been arrested after the attack at Manchester Arena which targeted youngsters leaving an Ariana Grande concert, but he was released without charge.
Salman Abedi’s parents, Ramadan and Samia, are both believed to be in Libya and are also not co-operating with the inquiry.
It also emerged that Ahmed Taghdi, a childhood friend of the bomber, was arrested on Monday as he tried to leave the country.
Mr Taghdi, 29, accompanied Salman Abedi on a visit to Abdalraouf Abdallah, a jailed terrorist who experts believe “groomed” the bomber, and Ismail Abedi was found to have Islamic State propaganda material on his phone.
Mr Taghdi was also arrested and released without charge in the aftermath of the attack. He was told on Friday if he did not attend the inquiry this week, he would be arrested due to a further High Court order. He attempted to leave the country on Monday and, as a result, was arrested by police.
The Daily Telegraph understands Ismail Abedi was not subject to the same High Court order.
Mr Taghdi and Ismail Abedi were told they have the right not to answer any questions that may incriminate them at the inquiry, sitting in Manchester. The elder Abedi brother previously failed in an application for an undertaking that none of his evidence would be used to bring criminal charges against him.