Libyan group will hand over brother of Manchester bomber

The brother of the Manchester suicide terror bomber Salman Abedi who killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert could be extradited to Britain soon, a Libyan militias group has vowed. The Deterrence Force (Rada), a counter-terrorism group allied to the UN-backed government in Tripoli that is holding Hashem Abedi, has promised it is “ready to co-operate” with the UK’s extradition request. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has been granted a warrant for the arrest of 20-year-old Hashem Abedi. The document lists charges as “the murder of 22 people, the attempted murder of others who were injured and conspiracy to cause an explosion”. A spokesperson for Rada said: “If there is agreement between the attorney general and the British authorities, we are ready for the next step.” Hashem Abedi, who was 20 at the time of the attack on the Arena, was detained in Libya days after the blast, along with his father Ramadan Abedi, who has since been released. The brothers travelled to the country in April. Salman returned on May 18 – four days before the atrocity – yet Hashem remained. Investigators have previously said they believed Salman Abedi had built the bomb himself and CCTV showed him buying nuts from a hardware store that were used as shrapnel as well as the tin that was believed to contain the explosives. GMP Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson said the force is grateful for the Libyan authorities considering this request. “You will appreciate that we must not do or say anything that might prejudice a fair trial and that this remains an ongoing investigation,” he said. “We also need to respect the due process being managed by Libyan authorities.” Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham said it is “imperative” that any trial related to the attack takes place in the UK. He added: “I hope all of the authorities involved will work together and seek to remove any barriers.” The Home Office has promised to do “everything in its power” to bring the brother of the Manchester bomber back to the UK to face a murder trial. Meanwhile, Salman Abedi has been buried in Libya after UK mosques refused to deal with his body. Although born in Britain to Libyan parents and a regular worshipper at a mosque in Didsbury, British mosques refused to have anything to do with Salman’s funeral rites after the atrocity. His family could not find a mosque that would deal with his remains so flew them to Tripoli where they were buried in a secret location without a full Islamic service. Noman Benotman, of anti-extremist think tank Quilliam, revealed the fate of the bomber’s remains, tweeting: “After Manchester mosques refused to bury the remains of terrorist Salman Abedi, British authorities allowed his family to move him to Libya, where he was buried in Tripoli.”