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Hashem Abedi, Brother Of Manchester Arena Bomber, Found Guilty Of Murder Over 2017 Arena Attack

Hashem Abedi, Brother Of Manchester Arena Bomber, Found Guilty Of Murder Over 2017 Arena Attack

The 2017 attack killed 22 people

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

Hashem Abedi, the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi, has been found guilty of murder over the 2017 attack that killed 22 people.

He was also found guilty of attempted murder and conspiring to cause explosions.

Abedi, 22, was not in court to hear the unanimous verdict, having decided earlier in the week to withdraw himself from the proceedings and sack his entire defence teams.

Prosecutors said Abedi, aged 19 at the time of the bombing, was 'just as guilty' as his brother - who killed himself in the attack, which took place at Manchester Arena on 22 May 2017.

PA

The Old Bailey heard the Manchester-born brothers had worked together to source materials for the suicide bombing, saying that the two 'stood shoulder to shoulder' in the plot and how Hashem, the younger of the pair, was 'just as guilty of murder'.

Detective Chief Superintendent Simon Barraclough, the senior investigating officer on the night of the attack, said Abedi had not shown remorse throughtout the trial, nor had be displayed 'one jot of emotion'.

Barraclough added: "He is a man who is equally responsible as his brother for this horrendous attack, this monstrous attack. The way he has conducted himself since he landed demonstrates even more the jihadi mindset that would be supportive of the sick ideology of IS (Islamic State)."

Martin Hibbert - one of the survivors of the attack, who had been just metres away from the bomb when it was detonated - told Sky News: "From the day that I woke up and was told I was never going to walk again I have just been very positive.

A memorial to the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing at Victoria Station in Manchester.
PA

"These people want to change the way we sit and talk today.

"What they don't want me to do is sit here with a smile on my face, living life to the full, that will hurt them more than me wanting revenge or being angry about it."

He added: "It's not just about putting his brother in prison and everyone can kind of smile and go home. I think we need to look closer to home as well.

"I think there's probably a few other people that need to be in the dock as well."

The public inquiry into the 2017 bombing is due to start later this year.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: UK News, News