Friend of Manchester Arena bomber loses parole bid

A convicted terrorist and childhood friend of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi has lost his bid to be released from prison.

Abdalraouf Abdallah, 31, faced a parole review after being recalled to prison for breaching licence conditions in 2021.

Abdallah, from Manchester, was given an extended sentence of nine-and-a-half years - including five-and-a-half years in prison - after he was convicted in 2016 of preparing and funding acts of terrorism.

Despite the Parole Board's refusal of Abdallah's application, he is still due to be released upon expiry of his sentence later this year.

Islamist extremist Abdallah played an "important role" in Abedi's radicalisation, according to a report from the inquiry into the Manchester Arena attack.

Suicide bomber Abedi killed 22 people at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017.

Abedi had visited Abdallah in prison, and experts believe the 22-year-old was groomed by him.

Abdallah has always denied any involvement in the Manchester Arena bombing.

Abdallah, who moved to the UK as a child and grew up in south Manchester, was paralysed from the waist down while fighting in the 2011 Libyan revolution.

The Parole Board said: "Following four oral hearing days and a dossier of evidence of over 1,800 pages, we can confirm that a panel of the Parole Board refused the release of Abdalraouf Abdallah.

"Parole Board decisions are solely focused on what risk a prisoner could represent to the public if released and whether that risk is manageable in the community.

"The panel of the Parole Board were not satisfied that he no longer posed a risk to the public, and accordingly did not direct his release."

The Board explained that "due to the nature of his extended determinate sentence, law determines that he will be automatically released when his sentence expires".

It said the "sentence expiry date in November is determined by the period of punishment set by the sentencing judge".

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