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Hashem Abedi, Brother of Manchester Arena Bomber, Found Guilty of 22 Murders

© REUTERS / Special Deterrence Force/Libyan Interior MinistryHashem Abedi, the brother of Manchester attack bomber, is seen in this handout photo provided by Libyan Special Deterrence Force on May 25, 2017
Hashem Abedi, the brother of Manchester attack bomber, is seen in this handout photo provided by Libyan Special Deterrence Force on May 25, 2017 - Sputnik International
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On 22 May 2017 suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a device in the foyer of Manchester Arena moments after an Arianna Grand concert, killing 22 people. His brother Hashem was extradited from Libya to face trial at the Old Bailey in London.

Hashem Abedi has been convicted of the murder of 22 people who were blown up by his suicide bomber brother, Salman, at the Manchester Arena in May 2017.

Abedi, 22, who was extradited from Libya last year, had denied 22 counts of murder, attempted murder and conspiring to cause explosions.

​Thousands of fans of the US pop star Arianna Grande attended the concert in Manchester in May 2017 when Salman Abedi set off the bomb in his backpack in the foyer of the arena moments after it finished.

The blast killed 17 women and girls and five men, wounded 264 and left at least 670 other people with devastating psychological scars.

© REUTERS / Danny Lawson/One Love Manchester Ariana Grande performs during the One Love Manchester benefit concert for the victims of the Manchester Arena terror attack at Emirates Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Britain on June 4, 2017
Hashem Abedi, Brother of Manchester Arena Bomber, Found Guilty of 22 Murders - Sputnik International
Ariana Grande performs during the One Love Manchester benefit concert for the victims of the Manchester Arena terror attack at Emirates Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Britain on June 4, 2017

Abedi, who is believed to be a supporter of Daesh*, sacked his defence barrister, Stephen Kamlish QC, last week after deciding not to give evidence.

​The trial heard Abedi had helped his brother source materials for a prototype bomb and buy a car in which the materials for the arena device were stored in the weeks up to the attack. Both brothers then flew to Libya, with only Salman returning to carry out the explosion. 

​Prosecutor Duncan Penny QC said the brothers had engaged in "months of planning" which involved assembling metal containers, nails and screws to be used as shrapnel and chemicals to make explosives.

He told the jury: "The prosecution's case is that this defendant is just as guilty of the murder of the 22 people killed as was his brother.”

© Photo : Greater Manchester PoliceThe Nissan Micra which was used to store the Manchester Arena bomb components
Hashem Abedi, Brother of Manchester Arena Bomber, Found Guilty of 22 Murders - Sputnik International
The Nissan Micra which was used to store the Manchester Arena bomb components

Abedi is due to be sentenced later in the week but faces a mandatory life sentence and will almost certainly be given a whole life tariff, meaning he will never be released.

Mr Penny said: "The bomb which was detonated was self-evidently designed to kill and maim as many people as possible,'' he added. "It was packed with lethal shrapnel and it was detonated in the middle of a crowd in a very public area - the intention being to kill and to inflict maximum damage."

© AP Photo / Emilio MorenattiA portrait of Eilidh MacLeod, 14, who has been named as one of those who died in Monday's Manchester bombing, is seen at St Ann's Square in central Manchester, England, Friday, May 26 2017.
Hashem Abedi, Brother of Manchester Arena Bomber, Found Guilty of 22 Murders - Sputnik International
A portrait of Eilidh MacLeod, 14, who has been named as one of those who died in Monday's Manchester bombing, is seen at St Ann's Square in central Manchester, England, Friday, May 26 2017.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Max Hill QC, said on Tuesday, 17 March: "Hashem Abedi encouraged and helped his brother knowing that Salman Abedi planned to commit an atrocity. He has blood on his hands even if he didn’t detonate the bomb."
"My thoughts are with the families of those who died and the hundreds of survivors. We should remember the 22 lives lost and those around the country whose lives have been changed forever....I hope the conviction gives them a sense that some justice has been done," Mr Hill added.

​The trial was broadcast live from the Old Bailey to three locations in England and one in Scotland, so that relatives of the victims could witness justice being done. 

*Daesh (ISIS/ISIL) is an international terrorist group which is banned in Russia.

 

 

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