Salman Abedi was the Manchester Arena bomber. He gave an imam an indignant look following a sermon in which he denounced extremism.
Salman Abdeli, 22 years old, detonated an explosive bomb in a concert by Ariana Grande at the venue on May 22, 2017, killing 22 persons and injuring many more.
Just four days before the attack, the Manchester-born attacker returned from Libya for a five-week-long trip.
Mohammed El-Saeiti was a former Imam of the Manchester Islamic Centre. He is also known as Didsbury mosque.
He recalled receiving online death threats following his speech at the mosque on the day so-called Islamic State claimed it was responsible for the murder of Manchester taxi driver Alan Henning in October 2014.
Greater Manchester Police issued a handout image showing Salman Abedi, who was seen at Victoria Station on his way to Manchester Arena. This photo was taken May 22, 2017.
Salman Abedi could be seen “adjusting wiring” under his clothes during the terrifying terror attack on 22 May 2017.
Near the site of the Manchester Arena explosion in May 2017, police were present
Ramadan Abedi’s father posted a Facebook message titled “Inciteful” in which he encouraged worshippers not to close down the mosque.
The public inquiry into the terror attack heard the sermon denouncing terrorism also resulted in a petition calling for Mr El-Saeiti’s, with signatories including Abedi’s brothers Hashem and Ismail.
According to Mr El-Saeiti, the mosque trustees had reprimanded him for discussing politics and threatened him with harm if he went back to his pulpit.
He said to the reporter: “I was speaking of the sanctity and dignity of human life. Political parties were not mentioned. I am not affiliated to any political party. My main purpose was simply combatting terror and extremism.
According to him, he was referring to Islamic State and al-Qaeda as well as Libyan-based Islamist Militia Groups Ansar al-Sharia, and Shura Council for Benghazi Revolutionaries. He called them ‘dogs in hellfire’.
The sermon was over. However, at the end of the sermon, a man grabbed his microphone, accusing him of speaking out against political principles.
El-Saeiti said, “This man was an cardiologist.” I warned him to be ashamed of defending ISIS. He did hear me tell it in front of the congregation.
Salman and Hashem were sitting’very near’ the pulpit a few weeks later and Salman could clearly see that Salman was unhappy with him.
The terror attack on Manchester Arena in May 2017 claimed the lives of 22 people. Many of these were children. Pictured: Police officers stand outside the arena after the terrorist attack of 2017.
Manchester Arena lost 22 people in the terror attack and hundreds were injured.
“Mr El-Saeiti stated that a member of his congregation said to me, “One of their children told me he had sent them to be there for you in case they did something.”
The inquiry was heard that he met Salman again in the corridor of the mosque shortly after.
He gave me a sour look. He told me that he did not like me.
Ramadan Abedi was the one he phoned, as he thought his Facebook posting had incited violence against him.
He said that he had spoken to him about Ansar al-Sharia’s brothers. “I have a good relationship with them.
“So they then said to me that terrorists behead them and kill.”
Ansar al-Sharia, a terrorist group that was banned in America at the time of the sermon in October 2014 was also proscribed in the UK one month later.
Mr El-Saeiti also recalled regular meetings being held at the mosque between supporters of a ‘coalition’, namely supporters of groups related to Islamic State and Al-Qaeda, as well as the ‘Libya Shield Force’, from 2014.
Fawzi Haffar provided evidence that the mosque chair had claimed it knew nothing about or was associated with anyone who might have been to Libya to fight.
However, El-Saeiti said that there were indeed political meetings at the mosque contrary to the claims of Mr Haffar just one day before.
According to him, he expressed concerns over the possibility of radicalisation between 2015-2016. This view was shared by many in the community.
He said, “It’s wrong.” This shouldn’t happen. These meetings were held because people were gathering to support terrorist groups and political causes.
“The overwhelming majority of Muslims oppose extremism.”
Mr El-Saeiti also said his fellow Imam, Mustafa Graf, was ‘praying’ for terrorist groups fighting in Libya.
The Facebook video of the inquiry, which was posted February 2020, showed a man speaking inside the mosque, in front a banner that read ‘Libyans For A Civil State’.
Salman Abedi, along with 22 others, was killed as concert-goers left Manchester Arena.
Hashem Abedi (now 24) is currently serving at most 55 years for his part in helping his sister prepare for the attack.
The inquiry resumed on Tuesday following three weeks of ‘closed’ hearings where MI5 and counter-terror police chiefs were questioned.
These hearings, which were held in secret to preserve national security, evaluated what is known and didn’t about Abedis as well as other intelligence and how it was implemented.
The public inquiry was also shown shown images of the Abedi family posing with machine guns in Libya on Tuesday.
The image was shown to Manchester Arena investigators and shows Salman Abedi (22), a suicide bomber who is pictured holding a large machine gun while he smokes a cigarette.
Salman Abedi’s elder brother, Ismail refused to cooperate in the inquiry. He has since fled the country.
Another photo shows Ismail Abedi (the elder brother of suicide bomber Salman Abedi) carrying guns through the African country. Another image shows Ismail Abedi pointing to an ISIS book in a shop.
Also, it was discovered that Ismail had possessed an ‘important’ amount pro-Islamic State material while he taught children in the mosque’s school.
Hashem Abedi and Ismail were both signatories to a petition calling on Mr El-Saeiti’s removal following his speech condemning extremism.
The petition alleges that the ex-Imam spoke poorly about “important” figures in the Libyan revolution and accused them of terrorist acts.
Ismail had been scheduled to testify, but he flew abroad and said that he wouldn’t be there.
Salman, the terrorist responsible for the atrocity was able to leave the UK along with his family, on an all-inclusive ticket to Libya. He left on April 15, 2017.
The man returned five weeks later, with his only luggage and four days after he committed the crime.
Abedi (22 years old) immediately purchased a SIM card and a phone at Manchester Airport. He also took anti-surveillance measures by taking a taxi and bus to get to the location where the bomb parts were left.
Abedi was considered a closed subject or interest for MI5, which means he was not being investigated. There were 20,000 of these closed SOIs, and the security service also ran 3,000 live anti-terror investigation.