Manchester Arena inquiry will examine possible role of Salman Abedi's family
The possible role of Salman Abedi's family in radicalising the Manchester Arena suicide bomber and his brother needs to be assessed, the public inquiry into the attack has heard.
Opening the hearings on Monday, Paul Greaney QC, counsel to the inquiry, said: "The inquiry will need to explore whether, and if so to what extent, the Adebi family or members of it were a radicalising influence on Salman and Hashem Abedi."
Mr Greaney told the inquiry how, a few hours before the attack in May 2017, Salman Abedi received text messages from a Libyan number "associated with the Abedi family".
He said that at 7pm, this number sent a message to a third Abedi brother, Ismail, which said: "Allah's peace and blessings be upon you."
The barrister told the inquiry: "This message and the coincidence of its timing with what was happening in Manchester may be innocent but do serve to indicate that... the inquiry will need to explore whether, and if so to what extent, the Adebi family or members of it were a radicalising influence on Salman and Hashem Abedi."
Mr Greaney said that Abedi made a final phone call lasting about four minutes at 8.23pm to the same Abedi family number.
He said this reinforced the need to know whether family members played a role in radicalising Abedi "or even have known what was to occur or have suspected it".
Mr Greaney described how at 8.30pm, the Abedi family number sent a text to Ismail Abedi, which he read to the hearing.
He then said: "Whilst perhaps no interpretation of this message can be certain, we will need to explore whether it was sent by Ismail Abedi's mother, and the mother of the killers, and amounts to a complaint about the extreme views of her husband.
"And, if so, again that will serve to reinforce the need to understand whether the family of Salman and Hashem Abedi had a radicalising influence upon them."
Mr Greaney told the inquiry: "Ismail Abedi, the brother of the killers, has been required by the inquiry legal team to answer a series of questions relating to what might, in general terms, be described as the issue of radicalisation.
"To date, he has declined to answer these questions on the basis that he maintains that his answers may tend to incriminate him.
"And that his position notwithstanding that he was recently prepared to give an interview to Sky News in the aftermath of Hashem Abedi's conviction."
Mr Greaney said: "All who are listening and viewing should be assured that the inquiry is probing Ismail Abedi's response."
He said similar requests to the brothers' parents, Ramadan and Samia, who are believed to be in Libya, "have not been responded to, at least not in any substantive way".
Mr Greaney said questions had also been asked of Hashem Abedi, who was jailed for a minimum of 55 years for planning the attack with his brother and murdering 22 people.
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