On Thursday, Hashem Abedi the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi and the Parsons Green bomber, Ahmed Hassan were jointly charged with assaulting a prison officer together.
Abedi, 23 is also charged with assault on an emergency worker, and a second prison officer in HMP Belmarsh in southeast London. Another man who is awaiting sentencing for terror offenses is also charged with assaulting the same person. The three men are due to appear at Bromley Magistrates’ Court on 7 April.
Abedi, who was jailed in August for assisting in the May 2017 Manchester Arena attack did not give evidence at the Old Bailey, but provided a prepared defence statement in which he denied involvement. He claimed to have been “shocked” by what his brother had done, and said he did not hold extremist views. Abedi went on to be convicted by a jury of all the offenses, and was given 24 life sentences in August, with a minimum term of 55 years before being eligible for parole.
On 22 October, he was interviewed in prison where he admitted he played “a full and knowing part”, the inquiry was told. Abedi had been in Libya at the time of the attack but was suspected by the police of having played an integral part in the planning and preparation of the bombing. He was eventually extradited by Libyan authorities, despite denying any knowledge or involvement in the attack. His admission was confirmed by Detective Chief Superintendent ,Simon Barraclough of the Greater Manchester Police who was the senior investigating officer in the attack probe.