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Manchester bomber's brother appears in London court

Hashem Abedi, accused of aiding the 2017 suicide attack that killed 22 people, was extradited from Tripoli on Wednesday
Salman Abedi, the Manchester suicide bomber whose brother Hashem appeared in a London court on Thursday (AFP)

The brother of a British-Libyan suicide bomber appeared in a London court on Thursday, accused of aiding the 2017 attack on a Manchester concert that killed 22 people.

Hashem Abedi was extradited from Tripoli to the United Kingdom and arrested on Wednesday following a request from the UK government issued shortly after the attack.

Though Libya does not extradite its nationals, Abedi was handed over to the UK authorities due to his British citizenship.

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Abedi appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court charged with murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life.

The 22-year-old’s brother, Salman Abedi, blew himself up at an Ariana Grande concert in northern England’s Manchester in May 2017, killing 22 and wounding some 500 others.

Ten of those killed were under the age of 20, with the youngest of them aged only 8.

Hashem Abedi, who was born and raised in Manchester, is next set to appear at Oxford Crown Court in four days’ time for a bail hearing, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled at London’s Old Bailey on 30 July.

His lawyer has indicated that the defendant will plead not guilty to all charges.

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