Manchester Arena bomber's brother Hashem Abedi confesses to plotting attack

Abedi was sentenced to at least 55 years in prison for murdering 22 people

A handout picture released by Great Manchester Police March 17, 2020 shows Hashem Abedi, the Manchester-born man who was found guilty of 22 counts of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to cause explosions, over the 2017 Manchester Arena suicide bomb attack carried outt by his brother Salman Abedi. Hashem Abedi, the brother of a suicide bomber who killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester in 2017 on August 19, 2020 refused to attend his sentencing hearing for murder. A jury found Hashem Abedi, 23, guilty of 22 counts of murder, attempted murder and conspiring to cause explosions at the gig in northwest England after a trial that ended in March. The attack, carried out by IS-inspired jihadi Salman Abedi, 22, was one of the deadliest terror attacks ever carried out in Britain, and left more than 200 people injured. - RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
 / AFP / GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE / - / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE " - NO MARKETING - NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS
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The brother of the Manchester Arena bomber, Hashem Abedi, has finally confessed to plotting the attack.

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

Despite repeated denials, it was revealed on Monday that Abedi has finally confessed to the attack.

The Manchester Arena inquiry has heard two investigators visited Abedi in prison on October 22.

"During the course of that interview Hashem Abedi admitted he had played a full and knowing part in the Arena attack, so there is no doubt the prosecution of him was entirely well-found," the inquiry heard.

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.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 23:  Members of the public gather to attend a candlelit vigil, to honour the victims of Monday evening's terror attack, at Albert Square on May 23, 2017 in Manchester, England. Monday's explosion occurred at Manchester Arena as concert goers were leaving the venue after Ariana Grande had just finished performing. Greater Manchester Police are treating the explosion as a terrorist attack and have confirmed 22 fatalities and 59 injured.  (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Members of the public gather to attend a vigil to honour the victims of the attack in May 2017. Getty Images

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.

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.

A public inquiry into the Manchester Arena bombing is examining the circumstances of the attack and if any opportunities to prevent it were missed.

It was established by Home Secretary Priti Patel in October last year and is expected to run until spring 2021.