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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You can step inside a fashion show with Vogue’s immersive ‘Inventing the Runway’ show in Manchester
Thomas Melia
A Vogue immersive show titled ‘Inventing the Runway’ has arrived Manchester, and it’s even co-created by Anna Wintour herself.
Ever fancied learning more about the fashion world? Well, now’s your chance to hear everything you need to know from global fashion leaders and lifestyle magazine Vogue.
The Anna Wintour-approved immersive experience comes alongside the announcement of Factory International‘s Winter lineup, which features another new event all about voyaging to the moon.
Vogue: Inventing the Runway incorporates interviews, visual media and more to help attendees visualise fashion shows of the past, present and future.
Visitors will be surrounded by incredible visuals on all sides (including underfoot), fully stepping inside the world of high fashion.
As well as understanding how fashion shows became the pinnacle of a designer’s vision, this runway-themed display also includes looking back at iconic moments of fashion and pop culture.
‘Inventing the Runway’ by Vogue is focusing on outfits worn by models and A-listers alike, with narration from the one and only Cate Blanchett.
A glimpse inside Vogue: Inventing the Runway. Credit: The Manc Group
You can expect to see curated pieces by significant creative minds in fashion history like Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood and lots more.
Throughout the Vogue experience, as well as coming visually face to face with fashion, you will also hear a soundscape that perfectly reflects this innovative industry with a fusion of classical and pop music.
This fashion exhibition uses the same Lightroom technology behind the impressive David Hockney experience that opened back in December.
Anna Wintour, Chief Content Officer, Condé Nast, and Global Editorial Director, Vogue said: “At Vogue, we’ve been lucky enough over the decades to see many incredible runway shows, which have often told the story of fashion as much as the clothes themselves.”
“This Lightroom experience is a wonderful opportunity for a lot more people to experience first-hand the thrill of watching the history of fashion unfold right in front of them.”
You can experience Vogue’s ‘Inventing the Runway’ immersive show from 18 December to 10 January.
Find out more information and grab your tickets HERE.
Record 37.5 million journeys home for Christmas expected before the big day
Emily Sergeant
Drivers are being told to prepare for long queues, as a record number of festive trips are predicted across the UK ahead of the big day.
With the festive season generally known to make the roads nationwide busier than usual, travel warnings have now been issued to all those making Christmas getaway trips for the holidays – with an annual study by the RAC and INRIX suggesting that 37.5 million journeys are planned before Christmas Day arrives.
With Christmas falling mid-week again this year, the figures are suggesting that drivers are keen to set off early to avoid what will be an undoubtedly frantic coming weekend on the roads.
Around 18% of getaway journeys are expected to be made today and tomorrow (Wednesday 17 and Thursday 18 December, respectively).
But, the RAC expects the main wave of festive journeys to start this Friday (19 December) with a whopping 3.6 million trips planned, before this escalates even further to 4.1 million on Saturday (20 December).
A record 37.5 million journeys home for Christmas are expected before the big day/ Credit: Highways Agency (via Unsplash)
The figures predict this will be the busiest Saturday of any Christmas getaway period since its records began in 2013.
Approximately 3.5m journeys are then expected on Sunday (21 December), while a further 5.3 million trips are set to take place at some point between 19 and 21 December, although drivers haven’t decided what day they’ll travel yet.
According to the RAC’s research, there will then be a slight lull in festive trips at the start of Christmas week – with Monday and Tuesday being normal working days for many people – however, volumes of traffic could be at their highest since COVID on Christmas Eve when 4.2 million getaways are expected, making it the single busiest day for getaways over the period.
When it comes to the best and worst times to travel over the festive period, the research has revealed that the times to avoid when travelling along major routes will be from 4:30pm onwards, with queues of more than half an hour expected in Manchester on the M60 clockwise from J7 Altrincham to J18 for the M62 for Leeds.
On the two busiest days over the getaway period – this coming Saturday (20 December) and Christmas Eve – the RAC and INRIX are advising drivers to expect lengthy delays on major roads between 11am and 7pm, as this is when most journeys will be made.
After the big day, drivers are expecting to make 4.6 million journeys on Boxing Day and 4.1 million on Saturday 27 December, as they travel home or continue their celebrations elsewhere.
The Manc -
14th October 2020 
