Terrorist friend of Manchester Arena bomber loses parole bid
Abdalraouf Abdallah will still be freed later this year though
Terrorist Abdalraouf Abdallah, the childhood friend of Manchester Arena attacker Salman Abedi, has lost a bid to be freed from jail.
The 31-year-old faced a parole review after being recalled to prison for breaching licence conditions in 2021.
But, despite the decision, he is still due to walk free from prison later this year when his sentence expires.
The Islamic extremist played an "important role" in Abedi's radicalisation, according to a report from the inquiry into the attack.
Abedi visited him in prison and experts believe he groomed the bomber but Abdallah has denied any involvement in the 2017 atrocity.
In a statement on Monday, the Parole Board said: "Following four oral hearing days and a dossier of evidence of over 1,800 pages, we can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board refused the release of Abdalraouf Abdallah.
"Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community. The panel of the Parole Board were not satisfied that he no longer posed a risk to the public, and accordingly did not direct his release.
"Due to the nature of his extended determinate sentence, law determines that he will be automatically released when his sentence expires. The sentence expiry date in November is determined by the period of punishment set by the sentencing judge."
Abdallah was handed an extended sentence of nine-and-a-half years, including a five-and-a-half year prison term, in 2016 after he was found guilty of preparing and funding acts of terrorism by helping four others travel to Syria and was released from prison in 2020.
He had previously been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after becoming paraplegic when injured in fighting in Libya in 2011 during the country's uprising.