Younger brother of Manchester Arena bomber appears at Old Bailey

Hashem Abedi will face trial in November

Author: Luke WilsonPublished 10th Oct 2019

The younger brother of the Manchester Arena bomber has appeared at the Old Bailey charged with multiple charges of murder.

On May 22 2017, Salman Abedi, 22, detonated a suicide vest as music fans left an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people and injuring 260 others.

His sibling, Hashem Abedi, who was raised in Manchester, travelled to Libya before the attack.

The defendant, now aged 22, was arrested in Tripoli and was extradited to the UK in July.

It is claimed he made successful and unsuccessful attempts to buy bomb-making chemicals.

He also allegedly helped in the purchase of a Nissan Micra to store device components and made detonator tubes for use in the explosive.

On Thursday, Abedi appeared in the dock of Court 2 at the Old Bailey for a plea and trial preparation hearing before senior judge Mr Justice Baker.

The defendant was not asked to enter pleas to the charges and the hearing was adjourned to October 22.

Abedi is charged with 22 counts of murder - one for each person killed in the attack.

He also faces a single count of attempted murder for all the other victims, and conspiring with his brother to cause explosions.

The defendant, who is in custody, is due to face trial at the Old Bailey from November 11.