Countdown to TRAGEDY
A suicide bomber took 22 lives in the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack…
Five years ago, a terrorist attack on the Manchester Arena at the end of an Ariana Grande concert killed 22 people and injured hundreds more. To mark this horrific anniversary, a two-part documentary gives a chilling insight into suicide bomber Salman Abedi, who also died. It reveals how opportunities to stop him were missed, and hears from survivors and relatives of some of those who lost their lives.
Abedi’s parents had emigrated from Libya to the UK and set up home in
Manchester.
‘During the school holidays, when most of us are going to Center Parcs, his father takes him to
Tripoli to fight against
[Colonel] Gaddafi,’ reveals journalist David Collins. ‘He is from a hardline Islamist family.’
Paul Hett, whose 29-year-old son Martyn died in the bombing, believes that these were hugely formative experiences for Salman and his brother Hashem, who sourced the explosives. ‘They were trained to fight in the war over there,’ he says. ‘And I believe that was the start of this.’
CCTV footage shows Abedi, 22, visiting the arena ahead of the attack, and arriving on the day of the tragedy carrying a heavy rucksack containing the bomb. Less than an hour before the explosion, concerned parent Neil Hatfield had spotted Abedi and thought he looked suspicious.
Lethal force
‘I thought “suicide bomber” straight away,’ Neil told the inquiry into the bombing.
‘There was very little doubt in my mind.’ No action was taken, however, and Abedi was able to execute his deadly plan minutes later.
However much Abedi was radicalised by others, grieving father Paul says the blame lies squarely with the bomber. ‘People have choices,’ he says. ‘To kill 22 people or not to kill 22 people. Salman Abedi had a choice.’