Brother of suicide bomber foiled in attempt to buy acid for explosive, court hears

Hashem Abedi is accused of helping brother Salman to kill 22 people in UK terrorist attack

Hashem Abedi has been charged with 22 counts of murder over the Manchester Arena attack of 2017. EPA

The brother of a suicide bomber who attacked a pop concert in Manchester failed in an attempt to buy acid because of concerns that it could be used to make explosives, a court heard.

Hashem Abedi is accused of helping to prepare a deadly nail bomb detonated by his older brother Salman, 22, at a 21,000-seat venue in the English city in May 2017, killing 22 people who were leaving a concert by US singer Ariana Grande.

Mr Abedi faces 22 counts of murder after prosecutors said he was as guilty as his brother after obtaining key parts for the bomb including nails, chemicals and metal food containers that were linked to the attack at the Manchester Arena.

Two months before the bombing, Mr Abedi asked a friend from within the city’s Libyan community to help him buy some acid, an essential part of the homemade explosive TATP, London’s Old Bailey was told.

The court heard that the friend tried to buy £76 of acid using his Amazon online shopping account but was declined because of a lack of funds.

The friend then spoke to his own father for help but he refused, telling him that “acid could be used to manufacture explosives”.

The court has heard that before the failed buy, another acquaintance bought 5 litres of acid on behalf of Hashem Abedi.

Jurors have heard that Mr Abedi explained that he needed the acid for a generator in Libya where his parents had returned in 2016 after bringing the family to live in the UK.

The brothers lived in the former family home for months before the attack.

Prosecutor Duncan Penny told the court that one witness claimed  Salman urged him to study “chemistry so you can build a bomb”.

The conversation took place in the presence of Hashem who later said he “believed that his brother required the acid for family reasons rather than terrorist ones”, the court heard.

Mr Abedi, 22, from Manchester, denies murdering 22 people aged between 8 and 51, and one count of attempted murder of the hundreds who were injured.

The hearing was halted on Wednesday after he complained of feeling unwell and is due to resume on Thursday.