26 May, 2017
"I was really shocked when I saw the news, I still don't believe it", he said. He was the son of Libyan parents who migrated to Britain in the early 1990s.
Hostey, also known as Abu Qaqa al-Britani, boasted of recruiting jihadis from Britain to Syria to fight for the extremists prior to his death.
The Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility for the barbaric attack, which involved a home-made device packed with nuts and bolts which exploded in the venue's foyer as thousands of young people were leaving.
The bombing also left 64 people wounded, of whom 20 were receiving critical care for highly traumatic injuries to major organs and to limbs, a health official said.
Greater Manchester Police say Abedi - a British national whose father, Ramadan, comes from Libya - was part of a wider terror network. A British official confirms that May discussed the matter with Mr. Trump after they posed with other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday. A man arrested on Tuesday was reported by British and USA media to be Abedi's brother.
British officials say that have receive assurances from USA authorities that confidential material will be protected.
In addition, hundreds of troops have been deployed to guard key landmarks and possible targets, including Downing Street and Parliament, in order to reduce pressure on the police.
British police chiefs on Thursday condemned the release of potential evidence while inquiries were ongoing, and said that the leaks represented breaches of trust which undermined their investigation.
Salman Abedi made frequent trips to visit his family in Libya, his father said, and was in the country last week, where he had told his mother he meant to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Shortly after the memorial service, Queen Elizabeth arrived at Royal Manchester's Children's Hospital to visit some of the 64 people injured in the attack.
Police in Manchester said they would stop sharing information with their American counterparts after photos appearing to show remnants from the bombing were published by the New York Times. The government Tuesday night raised the threat to "critical", its highest level, following an emergency Cabinet session.
Asked whether the US leaks had compromised the investigation, Rudd said: "I wouldn't go that far but I can say that they are perfectly clear about the situation and that it shouldn't happen again".
She also complained about United States officials leaking sensitive information about Abedi to the USA press.
