Convicted terrorist and friend of Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi loses bid for freedom

A convicted terrorist said to have played an 'important role' in radicalising Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi has lost a bid to be released from prison.

The determination over Abdalraouf Abdallah, a childhood friend of mass murderer Abedi, was revealed by the Parole Board in a statement on Monday. The decision follows a four-day hearing. Abdallah, from Moss Side, was jailed for nine and a half years in 2016 for helping people going to Syria to join the Islamic State group. The 31-year-old faced a parole review after being recalled to prison for breaching licence conditions in 2021.

But, despite the Parole Board's decision announced today, he is still due to walk free from prison later this year when his sentence expires.

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The long-running public inquiry into the Manchester Arena bombing of 2017, in which 22 people died, found that Abdallah had a 'significant relationship' with Abedi and played an 'important role in radicalising' him. Abedi visited him in prison and experts believe he groomed the bomber, but Abdallah has denied any involvement in the 2017 atrocity.

In a statement on Monday, 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.

“Due to the nature of his extended determinate sentence, law determines that he will be automatically released when his sentence expires. The sentence expiry date in November is determined by the period of punishment set by the sentencing judge.”

Abdallah was handed an extended sentence of nine-and-a-half years, including a five-and-a-half year prison term, in 2016 after he was found guilty of preparing and funding acts of terrorism by helping four others travel to Syria and was released from prison in 2020.

He had previously been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after becoming paraplegic when injured in fighting in Libya in 2011 during the country’s uprising.

The chairman of the Manchester Arena inquiry said in his third and final report that Abdallah was a 'key figure' in Abedi's peer group.

Sir John Saunders said: "Abdalraouf Abdallah was seriously injured while fighting in Libya as a member of the February 17th Martyrs Brigade.

"He returned to Manchester with a hero status among impressionable young men from a Muslim background who were susceptible to Islamic State propaganda. Abdalraouf Abdallah has held extremist views and been convicted of terrorism offences. He had a significant relationship with SA between 2014 and 2017 and had an important role in radicalising him."

They were said to have communicated 'regularly' by phone between July 2012 and November 2014, with the inquiry hearing evidence of more than 1,000 text messages.

Sir John said: "In the course of those messages, there were several references to martyrdom, the maidens of paradise, and a senior figure within Al-Qaeda and his death. These messages were discovered as part of the Counter Terrorism Policing investigation into Abdalraouf Abdallah which led to his prosecution and conviction for terrorism offences."