Hashem Abedi (Image: PA)
A plane from Libya with the 22-year-old on board landed back on UK soil at a London airport on Wednesday afternoon
Hashem Abedi, the younger brother of the Manchester Arena mass murderer Salman Abedi, has been arrested ‘for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life’ after his extradition from Libya, police have confirmed. In an update, Greater Manchester Police said a plane with the 22-year-old on board landed back on UK soil at a London airport ‘a short time ago’.
GMP Chief Constable Ian Hopkins confirmed Abedi’s extradition was ‘successful’ and revealed he was handed over to British police officers by Libyan authorities in Libya on Wednesday morning. Abedi would now be ‘transferred to a police custody facility in London’ ahead of an appearance at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, which is likely to take place tomorrow.
In a statement delivered at GMP force headquarters, the chief constable said: “Since the Manchester Arena attack on May 22, 2017, our thoughts have been with the families of those who lost loved ones and the hundreds who are struggling with serious physical injuries and deep psychological effects.
“They have always been central to our investigation and will continue to be so at all times. “I am now able to say that, following application by the Crown Prosecution Service for the extradition of Hashem Abedi from Libya, he has today been successfully extradited, for offences relating to the Manchester Arena attack. “He was handed over by Libyan authorities to British police officers this morning.
“They escorted him on the flight back and he landed in the UK a short while ago. “Greater Manchester Police officers have arrested Hashem Abedi for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life. “He will be transferred to a police custody facility in London.”
A Greater Manchester Police statement confirmed the Crown Prosecution Service has ‘authorised the charge of Hashem Abedi in respect of’:
• The murder of the 22 deceased victims;
• The attempted murder of persons other than the 22 deceased victims; and
• Conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life
Mr Hopkins continued: “After processing at the police station, he will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in relation to these charges.”I want to thank all those involved for their commitment to this investigation and the successful extradition of Hashem Abedi. “We do understand that there has been a huge appetite for updates in relation to the extradition. “We are pleased that we can now explain the progress that has been made.
The force confirmed that the families of the victims – and survivors of the atrocity – were ‘the first’ to be informed of the development. As reported in the M.E.N, a ‘comprehensive’ and well-planned policing operation swung into action once news of an imminent extradition was confirmed. Hashem Abedi was made the subject of an extradition request first lodged in November, 2017.
His brother, Salman Abedi, detonated a rucksack bomb in a foyer area of the Arena on May 22, 2017, after an Ariana Grande concert. The atrocity claimed 22 lives and injured many hundreds more. Hashem was detained in Libya shortly after the atrocity. He is understood to have been handed over to British police at Mitiga Airport earlier today.
Salman Abedi, who was 23, and his three siblings, Ismail, Hashem and Jomana, grew up in a sixties red-brick terrace, on Elsmore Road on the Fallowfield estate, west of Wilmslow Road’s student heartland. In a statement the mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, hailed Abedi’s extradition as ‘an important day in the recovery process for our city’.
“The attack on the Manchester Arena was an appalling act and many people suffer the consequences of it every day,” he said in a statement. “It is therefore right and proper that those affected will be able to see a judicial process on British soil. We think of them all today and recommit to support them in every possible way on the difficult road that lies ahead.
“We have been working towards this day and the fact it has finally arrived is down to the determination of Greater Manchester Police, the Government and key contacts in Libya. “On behalf of the people of Greater Manchester, I would like to thank them all but particularly the Security Minister Ben Wallace for his consistent support, and the Chief Constable and his team for the exemplary way in which they have pursued this complex process.
Today is an important day in the recovery process for our city.
” Home Secretary Sajid Javid said: “The extradition of Hashem Abedi is an important step forward in the investigation into the Manchester Arena attack. It’s important we now let the law take its full course. “My thoughts remain with the victims and their families who have endured so much. I would also like to pay tribute to the continued efforts of the dedicated police officers and all others who have worked tirelessly on this case.”
Source: Manchester Evening News