Suicide bomber who killed 22 staked out arena at Take That concert

FOOTAGE OF Salman Abedi checking out Manchester Arena during a Take That concert, days before his suicide bomb murdered 22 people, has been shown to a jury.

Abedi can be seen watching the gathering crowds and the long queues at the box office, just yards from the spot where four days later he would detonate a bomb packed with shrapnel.

His younger brother, Hashem Abedi, 22, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of helping him plan the attack in the City Rooms, the foyer where Salman detonated his device, killing the innocent bystanders and injuring hundreds more at the end of an Ariana Grande show on May 22, 2017.

Yorkshire people were among the victims.

CCTV footage shows Salman Abedi travelling to the arena, spending more than a minute in the City Rooms where crowds can be seen milling around him, before leaving for the nearby Arndale shopping centre.

There he bought four nine-volt batteries and a large blue Kangol suitcase to transport his bombmaking equipment to the flat he had rented in the city centre after leaving his brother with family in

Libya and returning alone to the UK on May 18, 2017.

Earlier he was caught on CCTV leaving the flat in Granby Row around 6pm.

The hooded figure, wearing jogging bottoms and white trainers, is seen moving through rushhour traffic, past commuters scurrying for trains as he travelled to Victoria Station.

Abedi also swapped his Sim card between phones and took an untraced international call during the visit, where he walked the perimeter of the arena venue before going in to the City Rooms.

The trial continues.