Hashem Abedi – the brother of Manchester bomber Salman Abedi – appeared in court on Thursday morning after being extradited from Libya to the UK on Wednesday.
He is charged with attempted murder and conspiracy to cause an explosion that murdered 22 people.
His lawyer, Zafar Ali, said: “He denies any involvement in any of the alleged offences,” adding, “He did not oppose extradition. He wanted to come back to clear his name.”
Salman Abedi detonated a bomb contained in a rucksack on 22 May 2017. The attack occurred on the concourse of the arena as thousands of music fans left an Ariana Grande concert.
More than 260 people were injured and more than 600 reported at least psychological harm.
The next hearing will be at Oxford crown court on Monday. Abedi will appear via video link.
Britain’s Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt, who is seeking to win the post of Prime Minister, welcomed the extradition of Abedi, saying he was grateful to the Libyan authorities for their cooperation with the English security.
“Whoever is responsible for this evil incident must be brought to justice. Yes, Abedi will now face criminal proceedings within the UK,” Hunt said.
Hashem Abedi was arrested by the Tripoli-based Special Deterrence Force shortly after the 2017 suicide attack.
In a previous interview with the BBC, the head of Libya’s Presidency Council, Faiez Al-Sarraj, said “We are fully cooperating because we understand the suffering of the families of the victims of this terrorist attack. We as Libyans also suffer here in Libya from attacks. So the issue is important for us.”
Abedi was subject to a request for extradition by British authorities since November 2017.
The Abedi family, originally from Libya, fled during the Qaddafi dictatorship with the father returning to fight with opposition forces when the uprising began in 2011.
Both brothers traveled to Libya in April 2017, and then Salman returned alone before carrying out the attack in Manchester.
