The infamous Manchester Bombing — which took place at an Ariana Grande concert on May 22, 2017 — was nearly three years ago now, but the legal proceedings surrounding the incident are ongoing. This morning brought a major development on that front: Hashem Abedi — whose brother, Salman Abedi, perpetrated the bombing and died during it — was found guilty of 22 murders due to the deaths caused by the detonation. He was also found guilty of attempted murder and conspiring to cause explosions.
The verdict was handed down today at Justice Hall in London, and prosecutors said that while Hashem wasn’t in the UK at the time of the bombing, his fingerprints and DNA were found in the location where the bomb was made. Prosecutors also reportedly presented evidence that showed Hashem was involved with the research behind and making of the explosive. Prosecutors said Hashem is “just as guilty of murder” as his brother, and is “jointly responsible” for the attack.
Grande has spoken on multiple occasions about the impact the bombing has had on her life. About a year after the tragic event, she said that it was still challenging for her to even talk about it: “I guess I thought with time, and therapy, and writing, and pouring my heart out, and talking to my friends and family that it would be easier to talk about, but it’s still so hard to find the words. When you’re so close to something so tragic and terrifying and opposite of what music and concerts are supposed to be, it kind of leaves you without any ground beneath your feet.”
