9-15 December: Manchester bomber alleged to have received training from Libyan militias

Dec 16, 2020 | Other Jihadi Actors

On 8 December, the Guardian reported that the so-called Manchester Arena bomber, Salman Abedi, may have trained and fought with Islamist militias in Libya during the 2011 revolution. Details of Abedi’s involvement with anti-Qadhafi militias were revealed during an investigation by the Greater Manchester police.

Abedi carried out a suicide bombing at a 2017 concert in Manchester, England which killed 22 people and injured hundreds more. His brother, Hashem Abedi, has recently been sentenced to 55 years in prison for involvement in the attack. The two brothers were born in Manchester to Libyan parents and reportedly travelled to Libya during the month before the bombing.