Who is Salman Abedi?

Abedi went to Burnage Academy for Boys from 2009 to 2011, before moving on to Manchester College, where he remained till 2013, after which he attended Salford University 2014. He dropped out a year later and joined a bakery. According to the BBC, former classmates and friends of Abedi allege that “he was a very jokey lad” but was extremely short tempered.

A former classmate, who did not wish to be identified, said that Abedi would be absent from school at odd times of the year. “…but I don’t know if that was because he was out the country, or just didn’t show up to school, because he did hang around with the wrong crowd and was very, very gullible,” the man told BBC, adding, “You could tell him anything and he would pretty much fall for it.” Another man, also not wanting to disclose his identity, claimed that Abedi was not the brightest of people. “I can’t imagine the idea that he would be able to go through with such a complicated procedure. He must have had help,” the BBC quoted him as saying.

Abedi’s religious fervor gained momentum by 2011 when he distanced himself from many of his classmates and friends. During his stay at Manchester College, two people had reportedly contacted UK’s anti-terrorism hotline to complain about his extremist tendencies. A community support worker said he made the call after Abedi made public declarations of approving terrorism and suicide bombing, the BBC report said.

French interior minister Gerard Collomb said Salman had probably visited Syria. “All of a sudden he travelled to Libya and then most likely to Syria, became radicalised and decided to commit this attack,” Colomb told French media.

Salman’s sister Jomana believes that his actions were provoked by the US’ bombing of Syria, for which he wanted revenge. “He saw the explosives America drops on children in Syria, and he wanted revenge. Whether he got that is between him and God,” she reportedly told the Wall Street Journal. His father, however, claimed his son was innocent. Ramadan Abedi confirmed that another son of his (believed to be Ismail) has been arrested by the UK police in south Manchester. “We don’t believe in killing innocents. This is not us,” he told The Associated Press.

A Libyan spokesperson said that Salman’s 20-year-old brother Hashim was aware of his brother’s plans. “His brother felt there was something going on there in Manchester and he thought his brother would do something like bombing or attack. So after that, he told us, ‘Having internet, I see the attack in Manchester and I knew that’s my brother’,” the spokesperson told BBC2’s Newsnight.

Hashim is one of the eight men who have been arrested in connection with the attack.