Detectives investigating the Manchester Arena attack of 2017 have taken a 24-year old man into custody at an airport.
Greater Manchester Police reported that the man, who was from Manchester’s Fallowfield, was arrested at Manchester Airport shortly after his return to the UK.
He was suspected of helping others to prepare acts of terror under section 5 (2006 Terrorism Act).
22 people were killed in the terrorist attack at Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017.
In the terror attack on the Manchester Arena on 22 May 2017, 22 people died, many of them children. Pictured: Armed police stand guard at the arena after the terror attack in 2017.
Manchester Arena was attacked by terrorists, killing 22 people and injuring hundreds more.
Salman Abedi (pictured) was the one who committed the attack. He was assisted by Hashem Abedi, 24, who was sentenced to life imprisonment last year.
Simon Barraclough (the senior investigating officer for this investigation) stated: “Greater Manchester Police remains firmly dedicated to establishing truth surrounding the circumstances surrounding terror attack at Manchester Arena – whether it is by supporting and continuing to pursue leads in relation to the criminal investigation.
“Over four years have passed since the atrocity occurred but we are unwaveringly determined in our dedication to following every line of inquiry available so that all those affected by the arena’s events can receive the answers they deserve.”
After grieving families of the terrorist attack said their horror that Ismail Abedi (28), the elder brother to suicide bomber Salman Abedi, was allowed to leave the country after he was stopped by police at the airport, the arrest came after the families were unable to speak.
Ismail Abedi flew out from the UK the day after he was stopped by police at Manchester Airport, according to the public inquiry into the terror attack of May 2017.
He was delayed by six hours because of the six-hour questioning. His lawyers claim that Ismail Abedi boarded the same plane the next day and hasn’t returned to the UK since.
Ismail Abedi was summoned to give ‘highly crucial’ evidence Thursday to explain how Salman (22 years old) and Hashem (24 year-old brother) became radicalised.
Counter-terrorism officers interviewed Ismail Abedi, 28 (pictured), which led to him missing his flight from Manchester on August 28, 2018.
In a statement from eleven of the bereaved families, read outside court on Thursday by Shane Smith from law firm Slater & Gordon, they said: ‘We are appalled to learn that Ismail Abedi left the country in August, having been stopped at the airport once before.
“We want to record our horror at the possibility that Ismail Abedi could be allowed out of the country to face an upcoming appearance in a statutory investigation, which he was required to attend.
“We are shocked that such a thing could have happened and we note that the inquiry is seeking urgent clarification.
“Despite claiming his innocence and disassociating himself from radical ideology or terrorism, he deliberately chose not to attend today’s meeting. A man who truly rejected extremism would want help finding the truth and would be here today.
“Ismail Abedi is clearly not such an individual, but has taken the coward’s way out.
This is a breaking story, more to come…