The battle to bring the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber to justice continues after he was today convicted of failing to appear at a public inquiry into the atrocity.
Ismail Abedi left the UK last year after refusing to co-operate with the hearing.
Inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders demanded that he appear as a witness but he has not returned to the UK.
Ismail’s brother Salman Abedi killed 22 people and injured hundreds more when he detonated a bomb after an Ariana Grande concert on May 22, 2017.
Another brother, Hashem Abedi, 24, was jailed for life with a minimum of 55 years two years ago after being convicted of murdering all those who died.
But Ismail, 29, refused to answer any questions over the horror in case he incriminated himself.
Greater Manchester metro mayor Andy Burnham demanded he be brought to justice, adding: “Here in Greater Manchester, we will never give up on that. We need to know exactly what he knew about the horrific attack that saw 22 people killed at Manchester Arena.
“Families who lost loved ones and everyone affected deserve nothing less. I will ask Greater Manchester Police to work with our national and international partners to leave no stone unturned. The message from Manchester is clear: ‘There is no hiding place and you will not escape justice’.”
Families welcomed today’s guilty verdict but demanded to know how Abedi had been able to leave the country as the inquiry continued.
A lawyer for 11 of the victims’ families said he was “unlikely to face any real justice until he is apprehended, if at all”.
Kim Harrison, of Slater Gordon, added: “Whilst we welcome the conviction of Ismail Abedi, we remain sorely disappointed that the conviction had to take place in his absence. We remain gravely concerned as to how Abedi was able to leave the country before giving evidence to the inquiry in the first place.
“The families deserve to know the truth about what happened that night, and the contempt Ismail Abedi has shown them is truly despicable.”
June Tron, whose son Philip, 32, was killed in the atrocity alongside his stepdaughter Courtney Boyle, 19, said of Abedi: “He should never have been allowed to leave in the first place.
“What were they thinking? It’s terrible that he got away. It would be good to get him back to answer questions.”
Abedi was listed for trial before Manchester magistrates today as Ishmale Ben Romdhan, another name he uses. District Judge Jack McGarva found him guilty of failing without reasonable excuse to do something required by a Section 21 notice.
The judge adjourned the case to August 2 and said if Abedi does not attend that hearing a warrant will be issued for his arrest.
He added: “The court is bound to consider passing a custodial sentence.
“There is a very high level of public interest in ensuring people co-operate with public inquiries.”
He said Abedi could have given evidence on “some really key points that the families of the deceased would have really appreciated having answers to”.
Nicholas de la Poer QC, prosecuting, earlier said that “his failure to attend was deliberate”. He added: “The defendant from the first was determined not to co-operate with the inquiry. He has prevaricated and he has obfuscated.
“He has thrown up every obstacle he could think of. When those failed, he fled the jurisdiction. In the end it comes down to this: he was lawfully required to attend, he did not attend, and there is no good reason for him not attending.”
