Hashem Abedi, the younger brother of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi, will be extradited to the UK before the end of the year, the Libyan prime minister has suggested.
The then-20-year-old was arrested in Libya shortly after the May 2017 suicide attack at an Ariana Grande concert, which killed 22 people and left 112 injured.
In an interview with the BBC in Italy, Fayez Al Sarraj said Libya was co-operating fully with the British authorities and understood the anguish of the victim’s families.
He denied there were any delays on Libya’s part, but said it would take time to complete the necessary legal procedures.
He told the BBC: “Sometimes it takes a long time, even in other countries. So the case needs time, and as a country we are following up, and working with the British Embassy.
“We are fully co-operating because we understand the anguish of the families of the victims of this terrorist attack.
“We as Libyans also suffer here in Libya from attacks. So the subject is important for us. According to the general prosecutor we can extradite. After we complete the legal process in Libya, it is only a matter of time.”
Both Abedi brothers, whose family settled in the UK from Libya, travelled to their home country in April 2017, before Salman Abedi returned alone and carried out the Manchester attack.
An extradition request was made by the UK to the Libyan authorities for Abedi to return to the UK, where he could reportedly face charges of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to cause explosions.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police told HuffPost UK: “We are still awaiting the outcome of the CPS request for Hashem Abedi’s extradition from Libya.
“The extradition proceedings are in progress and we are grateful to the Libyan authorities for considering our extradition request.
“As proceedings are ongoing, it is essential that we respect the Libyan legal process and therefore we cannot provide any further detail at this time.”