Mosque patrols after Arena probe criticism

POLICE have increased patrols around Didsbury Mosque amid fear of attacks after it was criticised in the third and final report of the public inquiry into the bombing at Manchester Arena.

- JOHN SCHEERHOUT

Suicide bomber Salman Abedi and his jailed accomplice brother Hashem attended the south Manchester mosque, while their older brother Ismail, who has fled the country, volunteered in the mosque’s Arabic school. Their father Ramadan had performed the call to prayer while their mother Samia Tabbal taught there briefly. The family also attended other mosques.

The mosque was attacked by arsonists in 2021 and now, after it was criticised by the public inquiry into the bombing, it is understood police have stepped up patrols in the area. Mosque leaders say they fear attacks by ‘right-wing elements’.