Brother of Manchester Arena bomber facing life in jail for mass murder

From the Manchester Evening News and The Telegraph. 

August 19: Hashem’s two-day sentencing hearing begins at the Old Bailey. 

The brother of the Manchester Arena bomber is facing life in jail for mass murder. Hashem Abedi, 23, was found guilty of 22 counts of murder, attempted murder, and plotting to cause an explosion likely to endanger life.

The Old Bailey heard that the Islamic State-inspired jihadi had helped his older sibling, Salman, who blew himself up in the attack after an Ariana Grande concert on the night of May 22, 2017. The defendant, who had travelled to Libya before the bombing, was extradited back to Britain to face trial.

Here are the key dates in the Manchester Arena bombing case:

The jury deliberated for five hours to find him guilty on March 17 – just days before trials were halted as the nation was plunged into lockdown.

Abedi, who absented himself from much of his trial and sacked his legal team, now faces a two-day sentencing before Mr Justice Jeremy Baker.

Families of the victims and survivors will follow the hearing by live link from Manchester, Leeds, Newcastle and Glasgow.

It is understood that Abedi cannot be handed a whole life sentence because he was under the age of 21 at the time of the offences. However, he could be given multiple life sentences with a minimum term starting point of 30 years.

The more I see of jihad murders and daily routine murder on our streets the fewer moral reservations I retain about capital punishment.