UK Wants Manchester Attacker’s Brother

The UK’s Crown Prosecution Service has requested the extradition of Hashem Abedi, brother of Salman Abedi, who killed 22 and injured more than 500 in his attack on Manchester Arena, May 22. 

AP Photo / Kirsty Wigglesworth – Pray For Manchester
A couple embrace one day after the Manchester attack May 23 under a billboard in England.

The request was made after Greater Manchester Police applied for and was granted a warrant for Hashem Abedi. The authorities claim they have a “very clear” understanding of Salman Abedi’s movements.

Together with his brother Hashem, he had left for Libya in April, returning alone to carry out the attack. His brother was arrested in Libya after the attack.

During its investigation, GMP made 23 arrests and searched 30 addresses, seizing 11,000 exhibits. “We have taken over 1,300 statements and there are over 5,000 people referenced in the inquiry. We have 16,000 hours of CCTV, which we are working through, and over 8 million lines of telephone communications data,” a statement provided to Pollstar reads.

In total, GMP is examining 16 terabytes of data. GMP did not uncover evidence of a wide network.

“Following a review of the evidence by the CPS, we have applied for and been granted a warrant for the arrest of Hashem Abedi. The arrest warrant relates to the Murder of 22 people, the attempted murder of others who were injured and conspiracy to cause an explosion.”

Both brothers were born in Manchester and went to school there. Libya’s authorities are currently considering Hasehm Abedi’s extradition back to the United Kingdom. “We are grateful for the Libyan authorities considering this request,” GMP stated.

GMP declined to address questions about the potential trial itself to enable fair proceedings. “We also need to respect the due process being managed by Libyan authorities and as a consequence at this time we are unable to provide any further detail,” the statement reads.