The brother of the Manchester Arena bomber has plead not guilty to 22 murder charges related to those who died in the May 2017 attack.
Hashem Abedi, whose 22-year-old brother Salman killed 22 and injured hundreds in a suicide bombing as people left an Ariana Grande concert, was remanded in custody and will go on trial on January 13 at the Old Bailey in London.
Abedi was raised in Manchester but was in Libya, where he has family, at the time of the attack. He was extradited to the UK in July from Tripoli where he had been held by pro-government forces.
The UK had requested his extradition after police issued an arrest warrant against him for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to cause an explosion. It was delayed because of unrest in the country.
It came as the UK government announced a public inquiry, which allows for secret hearings, is to be established into the Manchester attack.
In September the coroner in the inquests said the hearings into the deaths could not go ahead because the government was refusing to allow sensitive information to be published.
“This process is an important step for those affected as they look to move on from the attack and I know that they want answers as quickly as possible. I am determined to make this happen, while ensuring the proper processes are followed,” said interior minister Priti Patel.
“Now that the coroner has decided that an inquest cannot properly investigate the deaths, I have agreed to establish an inquiry to consider all the information so that he can make appropriate recommendations.”
