Manchester Arena Inquiry claims Abedi family had 'significant responsibility' for radicalisation

The Abedi family "holds significant responsibility" for the radicalisation of brothers Salman and Hashem, the Manchester Arena public Inquiry has said.

That includes his father Ramadan Abedi, mother Samia Tabbal and elder brother Ismail Abedi, each of whom, Sir John Saunders’ report states, has held extremist views.

The public inquiry, which concluded in Manchester on Thursday 2 March, said it is also likely that Salman and his younger brother Hashem 'fed off each other’s ideas and radicalised each other'.

Sir John said: "A suicide bomber is less likely to carry out an attack if he does not have the support of one or more person providing encouragement to do it."

Hashem Abedi has been convicted of helping his brother to plan the attack on 22 May 2017. 

He was sentenced to life imprisonment in August 2020.

Ismail Abedi left the UK in order to avoid giving evidence to the inquiry.

The Inquiry said Abedi’s parents, who both now live in Libya, "have not engaged, showing their lack of interest in the Inquiry’s determination to discover the truth".

Who are the Abedi family?

In his report Sir John said: "Ramadan Abedi took his sons to Libya during the period of conflict. 

"It is likely that Salman and Hashem were involved in combat there. 

"It is probable that Salman and Hashem were radicalised in Libya to some extent and that they obtained some form of training or assistance in how to build a bomb in Libya, as well as countersurveillance training."

The inquiry chairman added: "The worldview of Ramadan Abedi is likely to have heavily influenced his sons, and the worldview of their mother will also have made a contribution but less so. 

"Ramadan Abedi instilled in his sons extremist views and encouraged them to put those views into practice when he exposed them to training with and combat alongside Islamist militias who fought in the Libyan civil war.

"It is possible that Ramadan Abedi’s focus on Libya meant that he would not have envisaged that Salman Abedia and Hashem Abedi would consider attacking the UK."

In 2011 the brothers travelled with their family to Libya. The inquiry said it’s likely that they had some involvement in fighting during the civil war at that time. 

Writing in his report Sir John Saunders said: "They were at an impressionable age, 16 and 14 respectively, so this would have been a formative experience."

He added: "I consider it is likely that Salman Abedi and Hashem Abedi were radicalised in Libya to a significant extent. 

"I also find that it is probable they obtained some form of training or assistance in how to build a bomb in Libya, as well as counter-surveillance training."

Other than Hashem Abedi, there is insufficient evidence to attribute specific knowledge of the Attack to members of the Abedi family, the report said.

The Inquiry sought to obtain evidence from the mother and father.

But the report concluded: "They have not engaged, showing their lack of interest in the Inquiry’s determination to discover the truth. 

"Ramadan Abedi and Samia Tabbal are both in Libya. Although they were contacted, they refused to provide any form of statement."

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