Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi’s brother pleads not guilty to helping plan attack that killed 22
MANCHESTER Arena bomber Salman Abedi's brother has today pleaded not guilty to helping plan an attack that killed 22 and injured hundreds more.
At an Old Bailey hearing, Hashem Abedi's trial which was due to start next month was also delayed until the New Year.
On May 22, 2017, Salman Abedi, 22, detonated a suicide vest as music fans left an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people and injuring 260 more.
His sibling, Hashem Abedi, who was raised in Manchester, travelled to Libya before the attack.
The defendant, now aged 22, was arrested in Tripoli and was extradited to the UK in July.
He appeared at the Old Bailey before senior judge Mr Justice Baker for a plea hearing on Tuesday.
The softly spoken defendant wore glasses, a grey sweatshirt and burgundy T-shirt in the dock of court two.
It took six minutes for all the charges to be read out in court and for Abedi to enter not guilty pleas to each one in turn.
Abedi denied 22 counts of murder - one for each of the attack's victims.
He also faces a single count of attempted murder for all the other victims and conspiring with his brother to cause explosions.
During the hearing, the judge put off the trial from November 11 to January 13.
The case is expected to last for up to eight weeks.
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The defendant allegedly made successful and unsuccessful attempts to buy bomb-making chemicals.
It is claimed he helped in buying a Nissan Micra to store device components and he made detonator tubes for use in the explosive.
Abedi has been remanded into custody at top security HMP Belmarsh.