Manchester bomber Salman Abedi’s brother ‘who helped him build bomb that killed 22’ WILL be extradited to Britain, Libyan authorities say
- Hashem Abedi, 21, is being flown to the UK to stand trial for alleged murder
- Terrorist attack killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017
- British-born Hashem allegedly helped buy materials for Manchester bomb
- Britain requested the extradition in 2017 after police issued arrest warrant
The brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi is set to face justice in Britain after Libyan forces revealed that he will be extradited.
Hashem Abedi, 21, is being flown to the UK to stand trial for alleged murder and other charges, the Tripoli-based Special Deterrence Force (Rada) said today.
British-born Hashem is alleged to have helped buy materials for the Manchester bomb, which killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017.
Hashem Abedi is pictured after his arrest in Tripoli. Britain requested the extradition in 2017
A spokesman for Rada said: ‘I confirm you that Hashem (Abedi) is now in the air on his way to the UK … he is extradited in accordance to a court verdict.’
Britain requested the extradition in 2017 after police issued an arrest warrant against him for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to cause an explosion.
The UK government requested his extradition in October 2017 from the United Nations-backed government in Tripoli, but the high-level negotiations stalled.
As recently as April this year, the extradition of Hashem was set back indefinitely by fresh fighting in Libya and put on hold ‘until the conflict is over’.
In July 2018, it emerged that Hashem had apparently told family he was afraid of extradition to Britain and scared about being put on trial.
Hashem Abedi (left) is the brother of Manchester suicide bomber Salman Abedi (right)
Libyan militia forces holding him in Tripoli also claimed Hashem had confessed to helping his brother Salman kill 22 people at the concert.
In May 2018, Libyan judicial sources said Hashem’s opposition to being extradited could have held weight because he has joint Libyan citizenship.
Hashem is believed to have played a key role in the attack in May last year, including helping to buy materials for the homemade bomb set off by his brother Salman.
He has also been linked to a plot to kill Peter Millett, the UK’s former envoy to Libya. It is alleged he was in a four-man cell planning to carry out a suicide bomb attack.
It was claimed Hashem, born in Manchester to Libyan migrants, had also plotted to kill former UN envoy Martin Kobler and Libya’s prime minister Fayez Al-Sarraj.