Manchester Arena bomber's brother trial date set

Ismail Abedi has refused to answer questions about the Manchester Arena bomb

The elder brother of the Manchester Arena bomber will stand trial in July for failing to attend the public inquiry into the 2017 attack.

Ismail Abedi, whose whereabouts have been unknown since he flew to Turkey, did not comply with the inquiry chairman's order to attend in October.

The 28-year-old was described as a key witness for the inquiry, which wanted to ask about how his younger brothers Salman and Hashem had been radicalised.

Mr Abedi's trial will start on 14 July.

District Judge Jack McGarva said Mr Abedi would be warned, via email, that his trial will go ahead without him if he fails to show up.

'Summons'

Twenty-two people were killed on 22 May 2017 when suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated his homemade device at the end of Ariana Grande's concert.

Hundreds more were injured.

Twenty-two people died in the bombing on 22 May 2017

Mr Abedi, who was arrested and questioned for two weeks after the bombing but not charged with any offence, was served with a court order to attend the inquiry on 21 October.

He did not appear as a witness and the inquiry, chaired by Sir John Saunders, was told he was no longer in the country, having boarded a flight from Manchester to Istanbul.

Bereaved families called him a "coward" for refusing to answer questions.

Paul Greaney QC, counsel to the inquiry, said at the time that the public may infer Ismail "has something to hide" if he did not give evidence, but there was also "no indication" when or if he would ever return to the UK.

Lawyers for the inquiry told Manchester Magistrates' Court an email had been sent to Mr Abedi, representing a summons for him to appear to face the charge of failing to comply with the court order to attend the inquiry.

Mr Abedi's younger brother Hashem, 24, was jailed for life in August 2020 for the 22 murders.

He was told he would serve at least 55 years.

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