Manchester bomb chemicals ‘bought with email address named “we have come to slaughter” and linked to attacker’s brother’
AN EMAIL address linked to the Manchester bomber's brother and bearing the words “we have come to slaughter” was used to buy chemicals for the attack, a court heard today.
Hashem Abedi is accused of plotting the bomb attack with his brother Salman, who detonated an explosive device after an Ariane Grande gig killing 22 people and himself in the blast.
The Old Bailey heard how the address [email protected], which translates from Arabic as “We have come to slaughter” was used to buy 30 litres of Hydrogen Peroxide on Amazon before the atrocity.
Hydrogen Peroxide is one of three ingredients needed for the homemade explosive TATP, the court heard.
Handwritten scraps of paper bearing the address were found, torn into pieces, at the Abedi brothers' family home in the aftermath of the attack.
Prosecutor Duncan Penny QC told the Bailey: “After the explosion, the same email address was found on handwritten torn-up scraps of paper in one of the bins at the Elsmore Road address.
“Translated, ‘bedabjeana’ means ‘To slaughter we have come’, or ‘We have come to slaughter.’”
Prosecutors added Hashem Abedi’s phone was in the same area when the email address was set up in Manchester.
Jurors heard how Hashem Abedi had approached friends and acquaintances for help in buying chemicals online through Amazon.
An Amazon account belonging to his friend Mohamed Younis Solimanh was used to order 10 litres of sulphuric acid. Mr Penny said £140 was later paid into his account.
He told jurors: “Later on, when these matters were being investigated, a link between Soliman, his purchase of 10 litres of sulphuric acid and the brothers Hashem Abedi and Salman Abedi was identified.
“It was clearly no coincidence someone with links to the brothers was being used to purchase sulphuric acid in large quantities and on their behalf.
“The sulphuric acid cost £128.46 including delivery. You’ll remember that on March 15, £140 had been paid into Soliman’s account.”
Mr Penny said acquiring large quantities of chemicals risked raising “awkward questions in even the most gullible people”.
So the Abedi brothers needed a better way of avoiding suspicion and set up a delivery address for receipt of the chemicals by using an unoccupied terrace house in Rusholme, south Manchester.
The occupant of the house, Ahmad Hamkad, a man of Libyan heritage, was abroad and a fellow Libyan, Ahmed Dughman, looked after the property.
He was told the Abedi brothers needed to stay at the house for a few days because they had visitors in their own home and the keys were handed over, the court was told.
An Amazon account was then set up to order chemicals to the address.
Abedi, 22 denies 22 counts of murder and the attempted murder of others.
He also denies conspiring with his brother to cause an explosion.
The trial continues.
