Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi captured on CCTV seconds before blast

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Salman Abedi seconds before blastImage source, GMP
Image caption,

Salman Abedi in the foyer of the Manchester Arena just seconds before he blew himself up

Footage of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi seconds before he blew himself up has been shown to jurors.

The CCTV pictures showed him standing amid crowds of men, women and children 19 seconds before the fatal blast on 22 May 2017.

Hashem Abedi, 22, is on trial at the Old Bailey, accused of helping his brother plan the attack at the end of the Ariana Grande concert.

He denies 22 murders, attempted murder, and conspiring to cause explosions.

Salman Abedi detonated a homemade device packed with shrapnel as 359 people milled around the arena foyer at 22:31 BST - one minute after the concert ended.

The suicide attack left 22 people dead and hundreds more injured, the jury was told.

In the footage, the bomber was seen wearing a large Karrimor rucksack containing the device.

Image source, GMP
Image caption,

Salman Abedi arriving at Manchester Victoria station carrying his rucksack

The court heard his body was recovered in four parts and was riddled with nuts, wire and metal parts after the blast. He was identified by his DNA and fingerprints taken in 2012 when he was arrested for shoplifting.

Forensic investigators later found more than 2,000 nuts at the scene.

The Old Bailey heard all living casualties were moved out by 23:30 BST and 19 people were confirmed dead at the scene.

The father of 15-year-old victim Megan Hurley remained with her body until after 01:00 BST, the court heard.

Image source, Family handouts
Image caption,

Top (left to right): Lisa Lees, Alison Howe, Georgina Callender, Kelly Brewster, John Atkinson, Jane Tweddle, Marcin Klis, Eilidh MacLeod - Middle (left to right): Angelika Klis, Courtney Boyle, Saffie Roussos, Olivia Campbell-Hardy, Martyn Hett, Michelle Kiss, Philip Tron, Elaine McIver - Bottom (left to right): Wendy Fawell, Chloe Rutherford, Liam Allen-Curry, Sorrell Leczkowski, Megan Hurley, Nell Jones

The jury was told 28 people suffered life-threatening or life-changing wounds out of the 264 people injured.

Donna Currie, 51, who was waiting in the foyer for her daughter and her friend, suffered multiple fractures to both legs and shrapnel wounds.

She had previously sustained shrapnel injuries in the 1996 IRA bombing in Manchester and experienced extensive psychological trauma.

The court heard that a 50-year-old woman, who suffered shrapnel and burn wounds, had also been caught up in the 1993 IRA bombings in Warrington.

She had been waiting with a friend to collect their daughters when she was hurt at the arena.

Image source, GMP
Image caption,

Salman Abedi arriving at Manchester Victoria just over an hour before he detonated his bomb

The court previously heard that Salman Abedi, 22, went to the arena days before the attack and watched music fans arrive for a Take That gig.

He was seen looking at box office queues, a few yards from the spot where he detonated the bomb.

The Old Bailey heard that on the day of the blast, he had arranged to send £460 to Libya. Later, he went out with his rucksack and took a Metrolink tram to Victoria Station in Manchester.

While waiting for the tram, he made a call lasting just over four minutes to his family in Libya, the court heard. He then waited in the area of the arena for two hours before detonating his device.

Jurors have heard that Hashem Abedi insists he is not an extremist and had no idea of his older brother's plans. He said he was in Libya with his family at the time of the attack.

The trial continues.

Image source, GMP
Image caption,

Salman Abedi gets in a lift to take him to the Arena foyer

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