Manchester Arena Inquiry: Bomber 'asked taxi driver to pray for him'

Tariq Nadeem was working as a taxi driver on the night of the attack

A taxi driver who took Salman Abedi on his final journey to the Manchester Arena has described how the bomber asked for his prayers.

Tariq Nadeem, who drives a black cab, was approached by Abedi outside Piccadilly station in the city centre on the evening of 22 May 2017.

He told the public inquiry into the bombing that, during the journey, Abedi handed him a "pocket Koran".

Within hours, Abedi had murdered 22 people at the end of a music concert.

Mr Nadeem said, at about 19:30 GMT, he was asked by Abedi, who he did not know, to take him to a flat on Granby Row before driving to Shudehill tram stop, which is near the arena.

Abedi had rented the flat to make his final preparations for the attack.

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

Mr Nadeem said, during the first part of the journey, the "only thing I remember is he said to me 'are you a Muslim brother', to which I replied 'yes'".

He said when Abedi returned to his cab from the flat he was carrying a rucksack - now known to have been the bomb.

"The first thing that struck me was the rucksack appeared very heavy," he said.

"I said 'it's heavy isn't it?'

"To which he said, 'I'm weak, aren't I brother?'"

The rucksack stayed on Abedi's back "all the way through" the journey, the inquiry at Manchester Magistrates' Court heard.

Mr Nadeem added: "He said to me 'can I give you a gift brother?' to which I replied 'OK'. Then he handed me a copy of a pocket Koran."

The driver said he thanked Abedi who then said "please pray for me brother".

Salman Abedi pictured on CCTV shortly before the bombing

A man who employed the bomber's brother as a takeaway delivery driver also told the inquiry Hashem Abedi was "religious but I think he got the wrong idea of Islam".

He said Hashem Abedi asked him if he could have large, empty oil and sauce cans once they had been used by the restaurant to trade for cash.

It is now known the Abedi brothers cut up the tins while preparing their bomb.

The man's nephew, who also worked at the takeaway, told the inquiry how he used to take drugs with Hashem Abedi, who he discussed "cars, girls [and] football" with.

The witness said Hashem Abedi once asked him to buy sulphuric acid, claiming he needed it for a battery in Libya and his bank card was not working.

But he refused to make the purchase after searching for the product online.

The inquiry continues.