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The brother of the Manchester Arena bomber has been sentenced to at least 55 years in prison for his role in the attack.
Hashem Abedi plotted with his older brother Salman to detonate a homemade device with the aim of killing as many people as possible.
22 people were killed and hundreds of others injured when Salman Abedi detonated the device as fans left an Ariana Grande concert at the venue in May 2017.
He died in the attack, blowing himself up in the arena foyer as many of Grande’s fans – including young children – left the venue to meet their parents.
In March, Hashem Abedi was found guilty of 22 counts of murder, attempted murder and a charge of conspiracy to cause explosions. It is the highest murder conviction in English criminal history.
According to Sky News, there were audible gasps at the Old Bailey today (August 20) as Mr Justice Baker handed Abedi a life sentence on each of the 22 counts of murder he was convicted of.
“The defendant should clearly understand the minimum term he should serve is 55 years. He may never be released,” he told the Old Bailey.
In Abedi’s original trial, the court heard how the brothers allegedly bought large quantities of chemicals online and met with a convicted ISIS terrorist as they planned the attack in May 2017.
The Abedi brothers also spent months finalising their plans, which included using the email addresses and bank accounts of their friends to purchase chemicals, pretending they were for household use.
Hashem Abedi went to Libya the month before the attack, but was arrested hours after it took place and extradited back to Britain last summer.
Abedi refused to attend the sentencing for the second day, despite being transported into the building from Belmarsh Prison.
A public inquiry into the attack will begin next month.
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