Guard was ‘ dismissive’ over fears at Arena

A MEMBER of the public who raised concerns about Manchester Arena suicide bomber Salman Abedi was told by security, “Yeah, yeah, we have seen him. He’s fine,” a public inquiry heard.

Thomas McCallum was waiting to pick up his step- daughter and her friend in the City Room or foyer of the Manchester Arena, where terrorist Salman Abedi was hiding at the back, waiting for the crowd to emerge at the end of an Ariana Grande concert.

Abedi detonated his homemade rucksack bomb at 10.30pm on May 22, 2017, killing 22 bystanders and injuring hundreds more. About 15 minutes earlier, Mr McCallum said he overheard a conversation near him between Christopher Wild, another waiting parent, and Mohammed Agha, a Showsec security guard.

Mr McCallum, standing five feet away, recounted Mr Wild’s words to the security guard. “He said something along the lines of, ‘ Have you seen the guy up there? He is totally out of it?’ Words to that effect,” Mr McCallum said.

“I would say he was concerned, certainly enough for me to notice it and register it. Concern would be the overriding emotion.”

Nicholas de la Poer, counsel to the inquiry, asked the witness: “What was it the security guard said in reply?”

Mr McCallum said: “It was along the lines of, ‘ Yeah, yeah, we have seen him. He’s fine’.

“My overriding memory is, it was really quite dismissive – ‘ Yes we have seen him, it’s OK’.”

Minutes later Abedi detonated his device, with Mr McCallum left “significantly injured” and having to be evacuated in a wheelchair.

The public inquiry, expected to end next spring, continues.