Brother of bomber could be returned

The Libyan militia holding the brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi has said it is “ready to co- operate” with the UK’S request for extradition.

Hashem Abedi was arrested in the North African country shortly after the suicide attack that killed 22 people.

Anti-terror chiefs said an extradition request to bring Hashem Abedi back to t he UK was handed to authorities in Libya on Wednesday.

The militia group had earlier refused to consider the request.

Mr Abedi is being held by the Deterrence Force (Rad a ), a counter-terrorism group allied to the UN-backed government in Tripoli.

Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson of Greater Manchester Police, head of the North- West Counter Terrorism Unit ( NWCTU), told reporters on Wednesday: “We are grateful f or the Libyan authorities considering this request.”

The Abedi family, originally from Libya, fled during the Gaddafi dictatorship with the father returning to fight with opposition forces when the uprising began in 2011.

Police have previously said they do not think Salman Abedi was par t of a wider network.