Manchester Arena attack plotter sentenced to at least 55 years

Hashem Abedi's older brother, Salman, died in the Manchester bombing after detonating his suicide vest

Hashem Abedi has been sentenced to at least 55 years in prison for murdering 22 people in the Manchester Arena bombing carried out by his brother, Salman, three years ago.

The Old Bailey court in central London heard that he was “just as guilty” as his brother, who died in the attack after detonating explosives in a suicide vest at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on May 22, 2017.

Abedi, 23, was convicted on 22 counts of murder in March for his role in plotting the attack.

He was also convicted on one count of attempted murder in relation to the survivors, and plotting to cause an explosion likely to endanger life.

Abedi’s two-day sentencing trial at the Old Bailey began on Wednesday, though he refused to leave his prison cell. He was not present in court after he sacked his legal team halfway through the trial.

The despair and desolation of the bereaved families has been palpable

Mr Justice Jeremy Baker told the court on Thursday that "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," he added.

Abedi was then told he would spend at least 55 years in jail before he could be considered for parole. He was not given a life sentence with no minimum term because he was under 21 at the time of the murders – he was 20.

The younger Abedi brother had travelled to Libya, where his family is from, before the bombing.

Salman and Hashem Abedi were born in Manchester to a family of Libyan-born refugees who fled to the UK to escape the government of Muammar Qaddafi.

Abedi and his father were arrested in Tripoli by a local armed group called the Special Deterrence Force after the attack, but the father, Ramadan, was released soon after.

After two years of legal disputes Abedi was extradited to the UK last year.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson welcomed the sentence, saying it gave the public "an opportunity to reflect on the importance of tolerance, community and kindness".

"The Manchester Arena attack was a horrifying and cowardly act of violence which targeted children and families," Mr Johnson said.

"Those who were taken from us will never be forgotten, nor will the spirit of the people of Manchester who came together to send a clear message to the entire world that terrorists will never prevail."