Manchester Arena bomb inquiry: bomber’s brother Ismail Abedi gets new identity ‘to protect him’

The elder brother of suicide bomber Salman Abedi flew out of the UK a day after he was stopped at the airport by police, the public inquiry into the May 2017 atrocity which killed 22 people has heard.

Officers using counter-terrorism powers interviewed Ismail, 28, for six hours, which caused him to miss his intended flight from Manchester Airport on Saturday August 28.

Electronic items were seized from Ismail and examined before he was allowed to travel 24 hours later, according to his lawyers, and he has not returned to the UK since.

He had been called to give “highly important” evidence on Thursday to explain how Salman, 22, and his other younger brother, Hashem, 24 – jailed for life after he aided the plot – became radicalised.

What did the families say?

In a statement from 11 of the bereaved families, read outside court by Shane Smith from law firm Slater & Gordon, they said: “We are appalled to learn that Ismail Abedi left the country in August, having been stopped at the airport once before.

“We want to put on record our horror that Ismail Abedi could be allowed to leave the country in the face of an upcoming appearance at a statutory inquiry which he had been ordered to attend.

“We are shocked that this can have been allowed to happen and we note the inquiry are seeking urgent clarification on this.

“Despite professing his innocence and claiming to disassociate himself from radical ideology and terrorism, he consciously chose not to attend today.

“A man who had genuinely rejected extremism would want to help the search for truth and would have been here today. Ismail Abedi is clearly not such a person but has taken the coward’s way out.”

What’s been said by Ismail Abedi’s lawyers?

Ismail Abedi’s lawyers said their client had received a new identity to protect him.

Ismail Abedi was held by counter-terrorism police for a fortnight following his arrest in May 2017 before he was released – without charge – under investigation.

He denied any involvement in or knowledge of the bombing and stated he had played no part in the radicalisation of Salman.

In July, Ismail Abedi received a summons to attend the inquiry and was informed any objection needed to be received by mid-August.

When no response came, the inquiry’s solicitor e-mailed Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and requested to be notified as soon as possible if they received any information “to suggest that Ismail Abedi may not comply with the notice for example by leaving this jurisdiction”.

However, inquiry officials had no prior warning of Ismail Abedi’s plans as they were not informed by GMP of either airport visit until August 31.

Ahmed Taghdi, 29, a childhood friend of Salman Abedi, was arrested over the weekend after he attempted to leave the country following the granting of a High Court order last week which ordered him to attend.

He gave evidence on Thursday before he was later released from custody.

Counsel to the inquiry Paul Greaney QC told inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders it was “a matter of some doubt” whether the High Court would have been prepared to take enforcement action nearly two months before Ismail Abedi was due to give evidence but the inquiry had lost the opportunity to pursue that route.

He said: “Whether something has gone wrong here in accordance with the existing structures of the law or whether the law was simply not adequate to deal with the situation we simply do not know at the moment.

“A situation in which this important witness has been able to flee and effectively laugh in the face of the inquiry is one which should never be permitted to occur again.”

The inquiry heard Ismail Abedi told officials on the 28 August port stop that he intended to return to the UK, while Mr Greaney said a “self-serving and frankly disgraceful” statement was received from his solicitor on Wednesday which “makes plain that Ismail Abedi’s failure to attend this hearing is entirely deliberate”.

The statement, seen by the PA news agency, said Ismail Abedi “intends no disrespect to any of the parties, but he is unwilling to give evidence”.

It pointed out “hostile media coverage” that he received had led to fears for his safety and that of his family.

The statement said: “The questions now asked by the inquiry are essentially the same as he was asked by the police. Any evidence he might give to the inquiry would be in public and open to cross-examination by other parties.

“Requiring him to attend before the inquiry will place him and his family at further risk. After all the problems he has been through, he does not seek to engage with the public and he has nothing to add to the information he has given in interviews.”