The brother of the Manchester Arena suicide bomber was sentenced to a minimum of 55 years of jail time for the murder of 22 people on Thursday (Aug. 20), according to the Guardian.
Hashem Abedi, 23, helped his older brother Salman Abedi plan the terror attack during an Ariana Grande concert on May 22, 2017. Not only did it take the lives of 22 people and the bomber himself but also injured 100 others.
Abedi refused to appear in the London courtroom and stayed in his cell during sentencing. Justice Jeremy Barker said that if he, like his older brother, had been 21 or older at the time, it would have been a life sentence.
“Although Salman Abedi was directly responsible, it was clear the defendant took an integral part in the planning,” Barker said.
He continued, “The defendant and his brother were equally culpable for the deaths and injuries caused…The stark reality is that these were atrocious crimes, large in their scale, deadly in their intent, and appalling in their consequences.”
Abedi was found guilty “of murder, attempted murder and plotting to cause an explosion likely to endanger life” on March 22.
With the sentencing announcement, victims’ relatives have had mixed reactions. However, they hope that this will help everyone move forward.
“We will be the ones serving that sentence, we’ve had our children ripped from us in the most horrific way and nothing will ever come close to taking that searing pain away,” said a statement from the families of Chloe Rutherford and Liam Curry via the Guardian.
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