An arrest warrant has been issued for Ismail Abedi, brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi, who was convicted in his absence of failing to appear at the inquiry into the attack.

Ismail Abedi refused to give evidence about how his two younger brothers, Salman, the bomber, and Hashem, the bomb-maker, became radicalised.

Police believe Ismail, who left the country in the summer of 2021, had a “very unhealthy interest” in Islamic State, after finding material on his phone and laptops.

A warrant for his arrest was issued on Tuesday at Manchester Magistrates’ Court.

Ismail was “port stopped” in September 2015, as he returned from his honeymoon, and the contents of his phone downloaded.

Analysis of that phone and other devices seized after the bombing revealed “much information of pro-Islamic State mindset”.

The material included a 268-page document in support of IS and a Facebook post about the Jordanian pilot Muath al Kasasbeh, who was burned alive in a cage by the militant group.

British Airways selling new tickets for short-haul flights from Heathrow – as European airport extends capacity cap

COVID and social media pressures driving surge in mental health problems, say doctors

‘We will fight to the end’: Archie Battersbee’s parents to appeal decision to end life-support treatment

It also included a picture of Ismail, standing outside a shop, in front of a book on IS, and giving a one fingered salute adopted by the group.

The inquiry first tried to get a witness statement from Ismail in May last year, but he told them he was “not able” to provide it.

On 23 July he was issued with a section 21 notice to attend an interview for the purpose of providing a witness statement addressing identified topics.

He responded three weeks later with an unsigned witness statement which “failed to address the topics with which he had been required to engage” and included the statement: “I do not wish to answer the questions sent to me.”

Among the reasons he stated was a claim of the privilege against self-incrimination.

His lawyers made an application to seek an undertaking from the attorney general that he would not be prosecuted from any evidence he gave to the inquiry, but it was turned down.

Ismail was served with a section 21 notice on 23 July, requiring him to attend the inquiry three months later, but on 28 August, he was stopped under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000 at Manchester Airport.

He told police he was leaving the country for only three weeks and intended to return on 18 or 19 September. As a result, he was allowed to return the next day to catch another flight to Istanbul.

The day before he was due to give evidence, the solicitor to the inquiry emailed Ismail’s solicitor seeking confirmation that he would attend but the solicitor replied saying his client believed his attendance would give rise to a risk to himself and his family.

The next day, 21 October, the solicitor to the inquiry enquired directly with Ismail if he would be returning to Britain and asked him to identify a date on which he would give evidence – but no reply has been received to the email.

Related posts:

Teenager charged over armed incident at college that left two injured UK records 29 more COVID deaths as nearly 34 million have had their first jab Emotions stripped from football by the pandemic were restored in full technicolour in Porto England’s R number falls slightly to between 1.1 and 1.4 Man pleads guilty to assaulting Prof Chris Whitty UK reports 26,476 new daily COVID-19 cases and another 48 deaths Thousands of homes still without power after Storm Arwen causes some of the ‘worst’ disruption in 20 years Ex-Olympic showjumping coach sexually abused teenage girl over seven-year period, court told Carabao Cup semi-final first leg between Arsenal and Liverpool postponed due to COVID-19 British embassy security guard suspected of being Russian spy extradited from Germany to UK More Kinder chocolate eggs recalled over potential salmonella contamination Murderer jailed for 30 years for running over father-of-two and dragging him ‘screaming’ for half a mile