Hashem Abedi has to spend at least 55 years in prison for helping his brother Salman to plan suicide attack that killed many and injured countless people at Manchester Arena.
- Aug 21, 2020
AceShowbiz - The brother of a man who detonated a bomb at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England in 2017 has been jailed for at least 55 years for his role in the murders of 22 people.
Hashem Abedi helped his sibling Salman plan the suicide attack that killed 22 concert goers and left hundreds injured after he let off the explosive device in the foyer of the Manchester Arena at the end of Ariana's gig in May 2017.
At a hearing at London's Central Criminal Court on Thursday (20Aug20), Justice Baker sentenced Abedi to a minimum jail term of 55 years for murder, attempted murder and plotting to cause an explosion, with time served on remand meaning the 23-year-old will spend 52 years and 71 days in prison before he will be eligible for parole.
The judge told the court Hashem was "just as guilty" as his brother, who died in the attack, adding, "the stark reality is, these were atrocious crimes. Large in scale, deadly in intent, appalling in their consequences. The despair and desolation of the bereaved families has been palpable."
Hashem refused to attend court for the hearing, where the families of the victims read statements detailing their loss.
The defendant helped source, buy, stockpile and transport the components for his brother's bomb, the court heard, and helped with other preparations for the attack.
The month after the attack Ariana returned to Manchester to perform alongside stars including Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Chris Martin, and Liam Gallagher at a charity concert to raise funds for the victims' families and injured survivors.
