Families who lost loved ones in the Manchester Arena terrorist atrocity have accused the bomber's elder brother of showing them 'despicable contempt'.
They spoke out through a lawyer after a judge issued a warrant for the arrest of Ishmale Ben Romdhan, previously known as Ishmale Abedi. He was convicted in his absence last month of failing to comply with a legal notice requiring him to give evidence at the public inquiry into the bombing atrocity.
The 29-year-old, who was due to give evidence at the inquiry in October last year, was stopped by police at Manchester Airport on August 28, 2021, ahead of a flight abroad.
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He was interviewed and missed his flight, the inquiry was told, but returned the next day and caught a flight to Istanbul, Turkey. Understood to be with his family, he remains out of the country. The inquiry heard Greater Manchester Police did not believe it had powers to stop him leaving when he did.
But as a judge said Romdhan, who lived in Chorlton, would be sentenced over the inquiry offence if he's ever arrested, the heartbroken families who lost loved ones in the bombing said they 'remain gravely concerned' as to how he was allowed to leave the country.
Romdhan, the elder brother of bomber Salman Abedi and Hashem Abedi, who is now serving a life sentence for murder after assisting in the bomb plot, was 'port-stopped' in September, 2015, at London Heathrow airport. It came after he and his wife arrived back in the UK from their honeymoon abroad.
His electronic devices, including an iPhone, were 'subjected to a download' and 'much pro-Islamic State material' was found, including images of him holding weapons, the inquiry heard. Romdhan's DNA was also found on a hammer in a Nissan Micra car used by bomber Salman and his brother, Hashem, to store explosives they manufactured for the bomb.
He has denied any involvement with the Arena attack, however, saying he did not want to attend the inquiry because he was worried about the risk of self-incrimination, had already been questioned at lengthy by the police and was concerned for the safety of himself and his family.
In a statement Kim Harrison, principal lawyer and head of operations for abuse law, human rights and public inquiries at law firm Slater and Gordon, who represented 11 of the victims' families, said: "We welcome the arrest warrant that has been issued for Ishmale Abedi today and expect all of the relevant authorities to do their utmost to ensure he has to answer the many questions we have about what happened that night.
"We remain gravely concerned as to why Abedi was able to leave the country before giving evidence to the inquiry in the first place.
"His leaving the country should never have happened and despite the conviction he is unlikely to face any real justice until he is apprehended, if at all. The families deserve to know the truth about what happened that night and the contempt Ismail Abedi has shown them is truly despicable. Now we expect the authorities to do everything in their power to bring Abedi to justice."
Romdhan was warned to attend today's hearing at Manchester and Salford magistrates court in person, but did not. He also failed to attend the trial last month.
He was 'required' to appear before the inquiry chairman, Sir John Saunders, after a 'Section 21' notice was issued. Section 21 of the Inquiries Act allows the chair of an inquiry to require a person to give evidence. Section 35 of the Inquiries Act states a person is guilty of an offence if he or she fails without reasonable excuse to do anything that he or she is required to do by a notice under Section 21.
A failure to comply with a section 21 notice carries a maximum penalty of 51 weeks imprisonment. District Judge McGarva said today that Romdhan would be returned to the court to be sentenced by him should the arrest warrant ever be executed.
He said: "I am satisfied that he is aware of this hearing. The proceedings have had a great deal of publicity. I am sure he will have followed what has happened here in this court. I am now able to issue a warrant for his arrest without bail. We will just have to wait for him now to be apprehended."
Oral evidence at the inquiry came to an end in March this year after 196 days. Chairman Sir John is expected to publish his second report, focusing on the response of the emergency services to the attack, in November. The third and final report, considering whether the security services and counter-terrorism police could, and should, have prevented the bombing, and the radicalisation of the suicide bomber, will follow.
Salman Abedi, 22, detonated a device in a rucksack as crowds left an Ariana Grande concert at the venue. Sixty three people were also seriously injured, with 111 hospitalised. His brother Hashem Abedi, 24, was jailed for life for the 22 murders by assisting the bomb plot.
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