Rucksack ‘packed with metal objects’

MANCHESTER SUICIDE bomber Salman Abedi carried a rucksack packed with a “massive number” of small metal objects which “flew through the air at high velocity in all directions” when detonated, a court has heard.

The inquests into the deaths of the 22 victims of the Manchester Arena terror attack were told the improvised explosive device contained in the bag he was carrying on his back appeared to be “designed to kill and maim indiscriminately the largest number of innocent people”.

Senior coroner for Manchester, Nigel Meadows, opened the inquests as summaries of the background circumstances of each of the fatalities were given.

None of the families of the deceased attended the hearing at Manchester Civil Justice Centre, which lasted just short of an hour, and was preceded by a minute’s silence for the victims, bereaved, injured and others affected by the bombing on May 22 and also the London Bridge atrocity.

A photograph of each of the victims was shown on a large screen along with their dates of birth and then a map which pinpointed Abedi, 22, in the middle of the large foyer area of the indoor arena and where each person was when he detonated the device following a show by Ariana Grande.

The nearest victim was just five yards from Abedi, while the furthest was 20 metres away.

Flowers left in St Ann’s Square in Manchester following the attack are being pressed and preserved, with some set for inclusion in memorial books for families of the victims.