The brother of the man responsible for the bombing of Ariana Grande‘s concert in Manchester, England back in 2017. On Tuesday, Hashem Abedi was found guilty of 22 murders at the Justice Hall in London. According to TMZ, the prosecution argued that Hashem was every bit as guilty of the attacks as his brother, Salman Abedi, who was killed in the attack itself.
Abedi had previously tried to distance himself from his brother’s attack, though prosecutors made the case that even though he wasn’t in the U.K. at the time, the location where the bomb was manufactured was covered in his fingerprints. This was presented as evidence in court proving that he was heavily involved in the research, experimentation and making of the bombs. A month prior to the fatal attack, Abedi returned to Libya.
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Along with the 22 counts of murder, Abedi was also found guilty of attempted murder and conspiring to cause explosions.
The attack occurred on May 17, 2017. Along with the 23 dead, including Salman Abedi, 139 people were wounded, with more than half of them being children. In addition, hundreds more would go on to suffer psychological trauma, including Grande herself.
On May 29 that year, the singer released a lengthy statement online, where she wrote that “there is nothing I or anyone can do to take away the pain you’re feeling or to make this better.”
“However, I extend my hand and heart and everything I can possibly give to you and yours should you want or need my help in any way,” Grande’s statement continued. “We will not quit or operate in fear. We won’t let this divide us. We won’t let hate win.”
Just days later, she announced a return to Manchester for another concert, which was held in July that year. In addition to Grande, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Pharrell and Usher also performed, rounding out an impressive all-star lineup. Prior to the concert, she also visited a number of victims of the blast in the hospital, sharing a few candid photos to Instagram.
Grande’s manager, Scooter Braun, told the podcast Big Questions with Cal Fussman back in February of 2018 that the hospital visit was “hardest two hours of either of our lives.”
“When she found out that fans of hers had died, she was so sad,” Braun continued. “She cried for days, she felt everything — every face they announced, every name, she wore on her sleeve. Every bit of emotion because that’s who she is.”
