Hashem Abedi’s Manchester Arena bomb murder sentencing postponed

From the Knutsford Guardian 
Enthusiasts for 19th century English literature will know that Knutsford was the home of Mrs Gaskell (as she was still known when I first read her – Elizabeth Gaskell in the modern idiom) and the protptype for Cranford, in her best known novel. But I digress.

THE sentencing of Hashem Abedi, guilty of murdering Goostrey schoolgirl Nell Jones and 21 others in the Manchester Arena bombing, has been postponed due to coronavirus.

Hashem – the brother of Salman Abedi, who carried out the bombing on May 22, 2017 – was found guilty of murdering 22 people and injuring hundreds more following a seven-week trial at the Old Bailey.

His sentencing was due to take place on April 23 and 24 at the Old Bailey, but the court has confirmed that date will be adjourned due to current restrictions on travel and public gatherings.

It came as the senior investigating officer said Hashem was ‘every bit as responsible’ as his older brother – and may have been the senior figure in the plot, with intentions for further bloodshed around the world – even though he was in Libya when Salman detonated the bomb.

Det Chf Supt Simon Barraclough said: “These two men are the real deal, these are proper jihadis – you do not walk into a space like the Manchester Arena and kill yourself with an enormous bomb like that, taking 22 innocent lives with you, if you are not a proper jihadist. He was with his brother throughout the entire process of making this explosive and building this bomb, I believe he provided encouragement right up to the end. This was all about the sick ideology of Islamic State and this desire for martyrdom.”

The Old Bailey is yet to confirm a new date for the sentencing and is set to review the adjournment at the end of April.