Manchester suicide bomber’s brother sentenced to life in prison

LONDON — The brother of a suicide bomber who killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in the British city of Manchester is jailed for life for playing an “integral part” in the attack.

Hashem Abedi, 23, was convicted of murder, attempted murder and conspiring to cause explosions at a trial that ended in March, after one of the worst terror attacks on British soil.

The Islamic State jihadist group-inspired bombing, carried out by his 22-year-old brother Salman, detonated among crowds of mostly young people leaving the concert at the Manchester Arena.

The youngest victim was aged just eight. Others included parents who had come to pick up their children.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson calls the attack in northwestern England a “horrifying and cowardly act of violence which targeted children and families.”

“Those who were taken from us will never be forgotten, nor will the spirit of the people of Manchester who came together to send a clear message to the entire world that terrorists will never prevail,” he adds in a statement.

In court, judge Jeremy Baker says Abedi would spend a minimum of 55 years in prison for playing an “integral part” in the preparation of the pre-mediated attack.

But he says Abedi could not be given a whole-life term — ensuring he would never be released — because he was aged under 21 at the time of the offenses.

— AFP