The brother of the man who blew himself up at a concert by singer Ariana Grande in Manchester in 2017 has been sentenced to 55 years in prison, which he has to serve completely. 23-year-old Hashem Abedi encouraged and assisted his older brother Salman in the suicide attack and was therefore already found guilty to murder.
According to the British judge, the brothers are both just as guilty and have deliberately chosen a concert with many young spectators for the attack. Salman struck when many parents came to pick up their children. The explosion killed 22, including seven children. 237 people were injured.
Libya
Hashem was not in the UK when his brother blew himself up. The twenties traveled to Libya, the country where his parents come from, before the massacre. The Libyan authorities arrested him after the attack and sent him back.
Hashem was not present in the London court today. He refused to come to the room where relatives came to testify. People had taken pictures of young victims and parents talked about the loss of their children. The judge said the relatives’ despair was palpable.
The attacker’s brother disappears behind bars for at least 55 years and is then eligible for release. The court could not impose a life sentence on him because he was under 21 at the time of the attack. Hashem denies that he helped plan the bombing.
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