The Manchester Arena Inquiry was told this week that perpetrator Salman Abedi made three scouting visits to the venue before hiding in a CCTV “blind spot” on the night of the attack.
Abedi murdered 22 people in May 2017 after detonating an explosive device at the Arena following an Arian Grande concert.
A public inquiry – dedicated to finding out how and why the attack came about – began in September and has already revealed there may have been at least two missed opportunities to catch Abedi.
The inquiry was also told that it was very unlikely that Abedi and his brother Hashem – who was sentenced to 55 years in prison for his role in planning the attack – acted alone.
Abedi outside Manchester Victoria on May 18, three days before the Arena bombing / GMP
This week, footage was played showing clips of Abedi scouting the Arena on three separate occasions in the days leading up to the bombing – apparently in an attempt to identify entrance routes and camera positions.
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On the night of the attack itself, Abedi headed up to the mezzanine level of the Arena and waited “in a blind spot” for almost an hour before heading down to detonate his bomb at 10.31pm.
Salman Abedi at the bottom of the Manchester Arena steps during a scouting trip in the days before the attack / GMP
Abedi’s first reconnaissance visit to the Arena was on May 18, the night of a Take That concert and the same day he returned to the UK after visiting Libya.
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Abedi was shown arriving at the Arena by tram at 6.18pm, before walking around the railway station perimeter, the Trinity Way link tunnel and eventually in the City Room foyer.
At 6.35pm, Abedi can be seen moving around a queue at the box office, before leaving the scene a few minutes later.
Abedi returned to the Arena on May 21 before a show by physicist Professor Brian Cox.
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He sat on a wall in front of the entrance doors for several minutes, looking at his phone and holding the device up to his ear.
Abedi on the day of the attack / GMP
On the day of the attack, he made a final reconnaissance trip – briefly entering the City Room at 6.34pm.
Abedi held a short conversation with two security stewards before taking a taxi to his Fallowfield home from outside Victoria railway station at 6.36pm.
The bomber returned later that night at 8.30pm with his rucksack, moving between transport platforms and the Arena via lift, before eventually entering the mezzanine blind spot and waiting there for 58 minutes.
He then descended the stairs as the gig reached its conclusion to get in position to trigger the bomb.
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Three Manchester motorways named in UK’s top 10 ‘most challenging’
Emily Sergeant
Three motorways in and around Manchester have been named the ‘most challenging’ in the UK.
As part of MoneySuperMarket’s new Great British Motorway Report, new research has found that one in three UK motorists find motorway driving ‘stressful’ – despite more than 70 billion miles being travelled on Britain’s motorways each year.
From delays and congestion to high traffic levels, there are a number of factors that can contribute to driver stress levels.
But are some motorways more challenging for drivers than others? According to the data, yes. And three of the top 10 worst motorways in the UK are in and around Greater Manchester.
To find out which are the most challenging, MoneySuperMarket analysed everything from collision rates and roadworks, to lane closures and driver feedback in order to reveal the top 10.
Manchester is home to three of the UK’s top 10 most challenging motorways – the M602, M62, and M60, the latter of which took the top spot on the list.
Three Manchester motorways have been named in the UK’s top 10 ‘most challenging’ / Credit: pxfuel
Encircling Greater Manchester and linking many of the region’s motorways, the M60 recorded the lowest overall score in the index.
Despite handling significant volumes of traffic, the M60 experienced some of the highest average delays, at 15.58 seconds per vehicle per mile, and alongside this, it saw 34 collisions in the past year alone. But despite these challenges, the M60 remains an essential route for regional connectivity, and often cannot be bypassed.
“If you’re feeling anxious, allow extra time for your journey so you don’t feel pressured to rush or make last-minute decisions,” commented Alicia Hempsted at MoneySuperMarket.
“Plan your route in advance, including where you’ll stop for breaks, as regular rest stops can help you stay alert and reduce stress on longer trips, and if you’re travelling alone, consider sharing your route with someone you trust if it helps you feel more comfortable.”
Featured Image – Mike Birdy (via Pexels)
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Chinatown restaurant pleads for help after dine-and-dash customer leaves staff member in A&E
Daisy Jackson
A brilliant restaurant in Manchester’s Chinatown has shared CCTV and a heartfelt appeal after one of its staff members was left in A&E.
Noodle Alley shared that one of its young staff members chased after a group of dine-and-dash customers who’d left without paying for their meal.
The restaurant then said that she was ‘assaulted’ at some point in the chase and ended up in A&E.
In their statement, Noodle Alley said that the staff member ‘had treated them kindly and never expected that kindness to come back to her like this’.
They wrote: “What has this world come to? A violent man sent our staff to A&E over an unpaid meal.”
The CCTV shows a group of three young men, all carrying Selfridges shopping bags, entering the restaurant.
They sit and enjoy a meal, before two of them slip out of the restaurant. The third man then exits but is chased by a Noodle Alley staff member.
It’s at this point – out of the range of the restaurant’s CCTV – that they said she was assaulted ‘after going beyond her duty to try and recover what had been taken’.
The family business said that she has been ’emotionally affected’ by the incident.
The police are involved and the restaurant has appealed for anyone who can help with their investigation to get in touch.
It’s also the second time they’ve appealed about a dine-and-dash customer in the last few months, but this incident went ‘far beyond’ previous incidents.
In their full statement, Noodle Alley said: “We’re a small family business, and lately it feels like small businesses are being targeted again and again.
“But this time, it went far beyond anything we have experienced before.
“One of our young staff members — a girl simply doing her job — was assaulted after going beyond her duty to try to recover what had been taken from our restaurant. She ended up in A&E.
“What hurts us most is seeing how emotionally affected she has been by what happened. She told us she had treated them kindly and never expected that kindness to come back to her like this.
“We work hard to look after our staff and our customers, and nobody should have to go through this simply for doing their job.
“We have reported the incident to the police.
“If anyone recognises these individuals or has any information that could help the police with their investigation, please contact us or the police directly.
“We’re sharing this because we believe our staff deserve to feel safe at work.”
The Manc -
14th October 2020 
