The brother of the Manchester Arena bomber has been convicted after fleeing the country and failing to give evidence before a public inquiry investigating the attack.
District Judge Jack McGarva said he was considering a jail sentence when he found Ismail Abedi guilty of failing without reasonable excuse to do something required by a public inquiry order.
Abedi, 28, had been ordered by inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders to attend and give evidence, but he has refused to co-operate.
"The court is bound to consider passing a custodial sentence,” Mr McGarva said. "There is a very high level of public interest in ensuring people co-operate with public inquiries."
He said Abedi could have given evidence on "some really key points that the families of the deceased would have really appreciated having answers to".
Manchester Magistrates' Court heard that Abedi had previously said he did not want to answer the inquiry's questions because he was concerned about a risk of self-incrimination, had already been questioned by police, and was concerned for his safety and that of his family.
He was described as a key witness for the inquiry, able to answer questions about the radicalisation of his younger brothers, Salman, who carried out the suicide attack which killed 22 people on May 22, 2017, and Hashem, who has been jailed for his part in the bomb plot.
The court heard Abedi was stopped by police at Manchester Airport on August 28 last year where he told them he was planning to return to the country the following month. He left the country the next day and is not believed to have returned.
Nicholas de la Poer QC, prosecuting, said: "The prosecution submits that you can be sure from the chronology that the defendant from the first was determined not to co-operate with the inquiry.
"He has prevaricated, he has obfuscated, he has thrown up every obstacle he could think of. When those failed, he fled the jurisdiction.
"In the end it comes down to this: he was lawfully required to attend, he did not attend and there is no good reason for him not attending."
The judge adjourned the case to August 2 and said if Abedi does not attend that hearing a warrant will be issued for his arrest.
More coverage from the Future Forum
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Grubtech
Founders: Mohamed Al Fayed and Mohammed Hammedi
Launched: October 2019
Employees: 50
Financing stage: Seed round (raised $2 million)
More on animal trafficking
The five pillars of Islam
LUKA CHUPPI
Director: Laxman Utekar
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana
Rating: 3/5
'Midnights'
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EArtist%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Taylor%20Swift%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ELabel%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Republic%20Records%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
SPECS
Toyota land Cruiser 2020 5.7L VXR
Engine: 5.7-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 362hp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh329,000 (base model 4.0L EXR Dh215,900)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on Quran memorisation:
More on Quran memorisation:
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 one: how cars came to the UAE
The fake news generation
288,000 – the number of posts reported as hate speech that were deleted by Facebook globally each month in May and June this year
11% – the number of Americans who said they trusted the news they read on Snapchat as of June 2017, according to Statista. Over a quarter stated that they ‘rarely trusted’ the news they read on social media in general
31% - the number of young people in the US aged between 10 and 18 who said they had shared a news story online in the last six months that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate
63% - percentage of Arab nationals who said they get their news from social media every single day.
