Floral tributes at Albert Square in Manchester, placed to commemorate the victims of the terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017. AFP
Floral tributes at Albert Square in Manchester, placed to commemorate the victims of the terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017. AFP
Floral tributes at Albert Square in Manchester, placed to commemorate the victims of the terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017. AFP
Floral tributes at Albert Square in Manchester, placed to commemorate the victims of the terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017. AFP

Manchester arena bombing: warning from victim's mother of lockdown radicalisation


Nicky Harley
  • English
  • Arabic

A mother whose son was killed in the Manchester Arena bomb attack fears terrorists will be using the coronavirus lockdown to radicalise more youngsters.

Figen Murray, whose son Martyn Hett, 29, was one of 22 people murdered in the 2017 attack, is calling for more efforts by the government to prevent atrocities.

Her son was killed when Salman Abedi detonated a bomb at the end of an Ariana Grande concert.

Figen Murray (centre) and Mike Haines (centre left) both relatives of British victims of atrocities, at the Khizra Masjid mosque in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, to honour the 50 people killed in Christchurch.
Figen Murray (centre) and Mike Haines (centre left) both relatives of British victims of atrocities, at the Khizra Masjid mosque in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, to honour the 50 people killed in Christchurch.

Ms Murray, who backs the UK's anti-radicalisation Prevent strategy, has been joined in calls for more support and action by Westminster Bridge terrorist attack survivor Travis Frain.

Mr Frain was hit by a vehicle in central London driven by terrorist Khalid Masood, who killed four people on the Westminster Bridge before stabbing a policeman to death in 2017.

"It is not just violent Islamists that commit crimes like that, it's extreme right-wing people too, and now a lot of people are at home terrorist recruiters on both sides are having rich pickings in trying to target young people," Ms Murray said.

Police comfort young fans outside Manchester Arena. Most of those attending the Ariana Grande concert were young teenagers. Peter Byrne / PA via AP
Police comfort young fans outside Manchester Arena. Most of those attending the Ariana Grande concert were young teenagers. Peter Byrne / PA via AP

"I'm really worried about new young people who have been radicalised in lockdown.

“Prevention must always be better than cure. Prevent is underrated and gets too much criticism. It is doing a massively important job," she said.

"I would like to see more efforts put in by the government for preventative measures by people going into schools and educating young people.”

Ms Murray has visited schools, speaking about the impact of the terror attack, in a bid to help prevent another atrocity.

"When I saw the picture of the terrorist who did the arena attack what got me was the young age of the guy," she said.

“I thought, 'why on earth would you throw your life away at such a young age?'

"Surely he was not born a terrorist, what happened along the line for him to change? I felt I needed to plead with young people to be careful about terrorism. I started talking at schools and colleges to young people."

Mr Frain is also calling for official support to help create a network of survivors who can speak to youngsters to help prevent future attacks.

"There should be a lot more support for survivors," he said.

The aftermath of the March 22 terrorist attack on Westminster Bridge in London. REUTERS/Toby Melville
The aftermath of the March 22 terrorist attack on Westminster Bridge in London. REUTERS/Toby Melville

Speaking in a webinar on terrorism, hosted by the Henry Jackson Society think tank, Ms Murray said it had been very tough listening to the evidence of the Manchester Arena public inquiry.

“What you hear is just heart-breaking at times, and it is just a very dark time at the moment while it is going on,” she said.

“I have gone from knowing absolutely nothing to being thrown into a world of terrorism.”

Hashem Abedi avoided a full-life term because he was aged 20 at the time of the Manchester Arena attack - but will still serve at least 55 years. AFP
Hashem Abedi avoided a full-life term because he was aged 20 at the time of the Manchester Arena attack - but will still serve at least 55 years. AFP

The Manchester Arena public inquiry is examining the circumstances of the attack and whether any opportunities to prevent it were missed.

It was established by Home Secretary Priti Patel in October last year and is expected to run until the spring.

Suicide bomber Abedi, 22, died after detonating a rucksack bomb in a foyer area of the arena at the end of the concert.

His younger brother Hashem Abedi was convicted last year on 22 counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and one count of conspiracy to cause an explosion.

He was jailed for a minimum of 55 years.

The UK has suffered 13 terror attacks since July 2007, resulting in the deaths of 95 people and 463 people being injured.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
While you're here
The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

Farage on Muslim Brotherhood

Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.

ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand

UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

MATCH INFO

Euro 2020 qualifier

Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')

Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)

INFO

Everton 0

Arsenal 0

Man of the Match: Djibril Sidibe (Everton)

 

Company: Instabug

Founded: 2013

Based: Egypt, Cairo

Sector: IT

Employees: 100

Stage: Series A

Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors

Evacuations to France hit by controversy
  • Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
  • Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
  • The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
  • Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
  • It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
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INVESTMENT PLEDGES

Cartlow: $13.4m

Rabbitmart: $14m

Smileneo: $5.8m

Soum: $4m

imVentures: $100m

Plug and Play: $25m

Dubai World Cup factbox

Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)

Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)

Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)

Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E153hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E200Nm%20at%204%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6.3L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh106%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EKinetic%207%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Rick%20Parish%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Clean%20cooking%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sri Lanka's T20I squad

Thisara Perera (captain), Dilshan Munaweera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ashan Priyanjan, Mahela Udawatte, Dasun Shanaka, Sachith Pathirana, Vikum Sanjaya, Lahiru Gamage, Seekkuge Prasanna, Vishwa Fernando, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay and Chathuranga de Silva.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

Zidane's managerial achievements

La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017

2.0

Director: S Shankar

Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films

Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

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IF YOU GO

The flights

FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.

The tours

English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people. 

The hotels

Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.

St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.

 

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059