Manchester Arena attack: Judge issues new arrest warrant for brother of bomber

Ismail Abedi fled the country last year after being called to give evidence at the bombing inquiry

Ismail Abedi has left the UK after being called to give evidence at the Manchester Arena bombing inquiry (BBC News)

A new arrest warrant has been issued for Ismail Abedi, the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber, for failing to appear at the inquiry into the terror attack.

Manchester Magistrates Court issued the warrant on Tuesday morning. Abedi was convicted earlier this year of failing to appear at the inquiry after he was ordered to attend.

Abedi, 29, had refused to answer questions from the inquiry in case he incriminated himself. The chairman, Sir John Saunders, rejected his position at the time and demanded he appear.

It has been reported that Abedi fled the country last year and is now using the name Ben Romdhan.

His younger brother Hashem Abedi was jailed for murdering 22 people in the terrorist attack.

Hashem Abedi was convicted of mass murder (PA)

Hashem Abedi helped his older sibling Salman to plan the atrocity on 22 May 2017. The court heard during his trial that he was “just as guilty” as his older brother, who detonated the bomb during the attack.

An arrest warrant was issued for Ismail Abedi in November last year after he fled the county rather than give evidence at the inquiry.

Police believe that he had a “very unhealthy interest” in the terrorist group Isis, after gathering material from his phone and laptops.

Ismail Abedi has been convicted in his absence of failing to give evidence at the public inquiry into the attack (PA Media)

Ismail Abedi was stopped coming back from his honeymoon in September 2013 and the contents of his phone were downloaded.

The material on his phone, and also found on his computers, revealed “much information of pro-Islamic State mindset”, the inquiry heard.

It also included a 268-page document in support of Isis and a Facebook post about the pilot Muath al Kasasbeh, who was burned alive in a cage by Isis.

The inquiry has said that they would want to interview Ismail Abedi about “what part he played in his brother’s radicalisation and whether his brother received training in Libya.”