Hashem Abedi found guilty of murder

Hashem Abedi, the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber, has been found guilty of the murder of 22 people and helping to plan  the worst terror attack on UK soil since the 7/7 attacks.

With Abedi not present, having decided to withdraw himself from the proceedings, the jury returned a guilty verdict as each victim’s name was read out. After the verdict was delivered, DCS Simon Barraclough said the 22-year-old was driven by a ‘sick ideology’ and would not have stopped his murderous activities until he was caught.

Barraclough, who was the senior investigating officer on the night of the attack, said Abedi had shown ‘not one jot of emotion’ or remorse throughout the trial.

The bombing was detonated by Abedi’s older brother, Salman, and Abedi had attempted to point the finger of blame at his dead sibling. However, it emerged in court that the defendant had acted as quartermaster, chauffeur and technician to his brother, sharing a common goal to kill and maim as many people as possible in the attack after an Ariana Grande concert.