The elder brother of the Manchester Arena bomber was found guilty today while he was abroad for evading testimony at the public investigation into the attack.
Ismail Abedi, whose current whereabouts are unknown, had refused to assist with the investigation into the incident, which resulted in the deaths of 22 people at an Ariana Grande performance in 2017.
The 28-year-old was stopped by police on August 28 of last year at Manchester Airport and informed them he intended to return the following month.
The next day, he was able to board a plane and go.
Ismail was summoned by the chairman, Sir John Saunders, to appear and provide testimony.
His case was today scheduled for trial at Manchester Magistrates’ Court under the alias Ishmale Ben Romdhan, which he has already used.
However, he chose not to go, and District Judge Jack McGarva subsequently found him guilty of failing to comply with a Section 21 notice’s requirement without a valid justification.
The judge postponed the hearing until August 2 and warned that if Abedi did not show up, a warrant would be issued for his arrest.
Witnesses may be required to present for testimony as part of a statutory investigation under penalty of punishment.
The judge declared, “The court is required to consider imposing a prison sentence.”
Making sure people participate with public inquiries is in the best interest of the general public, according to research.
He claimed that Abedi might have provided testimony on “some pretty important issues that the relatives of the deceased would have much valued receiving clarification on.”
“The prosecution submits that you can be convinced from the chronology that the defendant from the outset was resolved not to cooperate with the inquiry,” said Nicholas de la Poer QC, the prosecutor.
He has dodged questions, made evasive statements, and put up every roadblock imaginable.
When those fell short, he left the area.
Ultimately, “he was legally compelled to appear, he did not attend, and there is no good explanation for him not attending.”
The court was informed that Abedi had earlier stated he did not want to respond to the inquiry’s inquiries due to his fear of self-incrimination, the fact that he had already been questioned by police, and his concern for his and his family’s safety.
However, District Judge McGarva determined that his absence was not justified.
The IT worker was referred to as a key witness for the investigation, able to respond to inquiries about the radicalization of his younger brothers, Hashem, who was imprisoned for his involvement in the bomb plot, and Salman, who carried out the suicide attack on May 22, 2017, which claimed the lives of 22 people.
Given that his DNA was discovered on a hammer in a car used to store the explosives, the inquiry learned that he also might have been able to testify regarding the making of the bomb.
He had already been checked in 2015 at Heathrow Airport, where it was discovered that his phone contained a “substantial” amount of “extremely troubling” content with a “Islamic State-mindset.”
Ismail Abedi’s refusal to respond to inquiries earned him the title of “coward” from grieving families.
The public investigation heard that Ramadan Abedi, his father, was connected to the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, a militia that had ties to the terrorist group al Qaida.
Police want to question him as a suspect since he resides in Libya and has been uncooperative with the investigation.
Hashem Abedi, 24, was involved in the bomb plot and received a life sentence in prison for the 22 deaths at the Arena.