Libyan group refuses to extradite brother of Manchester bomber

Deterrence Force’s rejection of extradition request comes after UK police say sufficient evidence to arrest Hashem Abadi

TRIPOLI, Libya — A Libyan armed group holding the brother of the assailant in the deadly concert bombing in Manchester turned down Thursday a British police request for his extradition.

“No. Hashem Abedi will not be extradited,” Ahmed Ben Salem, spokesman for the “Deterrence Force” which acts as the police of the UN-backed unity government in Tripoli, told AFP.

On Wednesday, British police investigating the May terror attack that killed 22 people had requested the extradition of the attacker’s brother from Libya.

Salman Abedi detonated a suicide bomb after a concert by pop star Ariana Grande, in Britain’s worst terror attack in more than a decade.

CCTV image of Salman Abedi in an unknown location on the night of the attack he carried out on Manchester Arena, May 22, 2017. (Greater Manchester Police via AP)

Manchester police said they have now gathered enough evidence to request and be granted an arrest warrant for Hashem Abedi.

But Ben Salem said Libya had no extradition accord with Britain, and that “the Abadi affair is with the attorney general’s office which is in charge of the investigation.”

According to the Deterrence Force, Hashem Abadi has admitted to having been in Britain at the time of preparations for the attack and that he was “fully aware of the details of the terrorist operation.”