Manchester Arena attack: Bomber’s brother arrested for murder
The younger brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi has been arrested on suspicion of murder after being extradited from Libya.
Hashem Abedi, 22, was detained in the country shortly after the May 2017 suicide attack that killed 22 people and injured more than 100.
He was on a flight which left Mitiga Airport, near Tripoli, at 10:30 BST.
Mr Abedi has also been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Greater Manchester Police said.
The force said prosecutors had previously authorised charges against Mr Abedi in respect of:
- The murder of the 22 victims
- The attempted murder of persons other than the 22 deceased
- Conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life
Libyan authorities handed Mr Abedi over to British police officers, who escorted him on the flight back to the UK.
He was arrested after landing at a London airport, and transferred to a police station in the capital.
Families of the victims and survivors were the first to be informed, police said.
Both brothers travelled to Libya in April 2017, before Salman Abedi returned alone to carry out the attack on 22 May.
Twenty-two people died in the bombing while a total of 112 needed hospital treatment after the attack.
GMP was granted a warrant for Mr Abedi’s arrest in November 2017.
A Libyan court had previously agreed to extradite Mr Abedi to the UK because he is a British citizen but the extradition process was delayed by fighting in Libya.
No-one has been charged over the Manchester Arena attack despite police raids after the bombing.
A 2018 report said 23 people arrested in the UK were all released without charge.
Source: bbc.co.uk