Ismail Abedi asks for immunity to take part in public inquiry

Ismail Abedi, the elder brother of the Manchester Arena bomber, has requested immunity from prosecution in return for answering questions at the public inquiry into the terror attack.

The legal application was made to Sir John Saunders, chair of the inquiry, who is yet to make a ruling on whether he should consider making the application to the attorney general in return for Abedi’s cooperation.

Abedi has been arrested, held for 14 days and interviewed by detectives 25 times but not charged with any offence. This is despite a raid on his home the day after the 2017 attack finding images from his devices which indicated that he was ‘sympathetic to the ideals of ISIS’.

Abedi’s move is resisted by lawyers representing the families of the 22 people who dies at the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena.

Peter Weatherby QC, representing some of the families, said: “If granted this would be an undertaking which would potentially protect a person from prosecution for a variety of offences, terrorism and other offences, including mass murder.”

Ismail Abedi denies any knowledge or involvement in the bomb plot. His younger brother Salman Abedi detonated a homemade shrapnel-packed bomb at the end of the concert on 22 May 2017. His other brother Hashem Abedi was jailed in 2020 for a minimum of 55 years before parole for his part in the bomb plot.