The convicted terrorist Abdalraouf Abdallah is now giving evidence here at the Manchester Arena Inquiry.
He's been brought to court from prison
He's been brought to court from prison
Abdalraouf Abdallah says that text exchanges with Salman Abedi in which they discussed martyrdom were “normal chitchat”.
He denied radicalising the bomber, saying “I don’t even have an extreme mindset myself” and “I’m not a groomer and I wasn’t grooming Salman to anything”
He denied radicalising the bomber, saying “I don’t even have an extreme mindset myself” and “I’m not a groomer and I wasn’t grooming Salman to anything”
The texts were recovered in November 2014 when counter terror police arrested Abdallah at his Moss Side home.
They showed the pair discussing and asking for martyrdom, as well as the death of an associate who'd been fighting in Libya
They showed the pair discussing and asking for martyrdom, as well as the death of an associate who'd been fighting in Libya
“Yes I was talking about shahada, which is martyrdom”, Abdallah told the court.
He added that a friend – Elyas Elmehdi, who is now a formal suspect in the Arena attack – was fighting in Libya at the time and had been telling him about the death of various friends
He added that a friend – Elyas Elmehdi, who is now a formal suspect in the Arena attack – was fighting in Libya at the time and had been telling him about the death of various friends
“We were praying we want them to be accepted by God and for even us to be granted that place in heaven… as a martyr ourselves".
Paul Greaney QC, counsel to the inquiry, asked if both he and Salman Abedi had been “jointly praising the concept of martyrdom”
Paul Greaney QC, counsel to the inquiry, asked if both he and Salman Abedi had been “jointly praising the concept of martyrdom”
“Yeah that’s what we’re doing… This is the Islam religion”, he said.
“It’s not something that me and Salman made up”, Abdallah added.
“If you think that’s extreme or terrorist then you’ve got a problem with the Islam religion itself”, he told the hearing
“It’s not something that me and Salman made up”, Abdallah added.
“If you think that’s extreme or terrorist then you’ve got a problem with the Islam religion itself”, he told the hearing
Asked by chairman Sir John Saunders why he'd been having such discussions with Salman Abedi, he said the pair had been listening to descriptions of “maidens of heaven and that’s how it happened basically”
Pete Wetherby QC, representing several bereaved families, said Abdallah's lengthy chats with Salman Abedi were "about radicalisation - it was about discussing some kind of perverse death”
Abdallah denied knowing about the Arena bombing in advance, telling the court it was a “horrific act”.
He said a prison visit from Salman Abedi, Elyas Elmehdi and Ayoub Sadigh in January 2017 simply involved them all “having a laugh”
He said a prison visit from Salman Abedi, Elyas Elmehdi and Ayoub Sadigh in January 2017 simply involved them all “having a laugh”
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