![isis music hall isis music hall](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/biltmorebeacon.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/7/80/78088522-650a-11e9-9c8c-d3eacddf5bbe/5cbdced4e9701.image.jpg)
The trustees and staff had no recollection of Abedi attending the mosque as an adult - but did as a child.īut Mr Haffar says he cannot say for certain that Abedi wasn't someone who attended. Mr Haffar is now being questioned on Salman Abedi.Īfter the 2017 Arena attack, he says trustees asked each other and staff whether anyone had knowledge of the bomber. "We could not sense anything wrong at the time," he says. He says a consultant was appointed and the mosque's safeguarding policies were updated.
![isis music hall isis music hall](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oFSIRhTice0/maxresdefault.jpg)
"We welcomed the plan and took it very seriously," he says - the inquiry hears the action plan involved safeguarding issues. Mr Haffar details the mosque being contacted by the Charity Commission in 2018 and that body providing an action plan after a two-day visit. I absolutely, categorically refuse that." Mr Cooper suggests the mosque exercised a 'dereliction of its duty in protecting people and at the time they could have done far more to stop Salman Abedi and his evil cohorts doing what they did'. "When we did our questioning, many of our employees said he was never there." The witness says he never saw Salman Abedi and refutes Mr Cooper's claim that Abedi was a 'regular attender'. Mr Haffar says had the mosque known of the downloads police made from Ismail's devices, he wouldn't have been allowed to teach at the mosque. "We were opposed to any form of extremism." The QC says the mosque had a 'passive' attitude - the witness says he disagrees with that statement. "There was no negative things," Mr Haffar says. Mr Cooper asks whether questions were asked about his ideology - the witness says background checks would have been carried out. The witness says there's a vetting process and a DBS check.
![isis music hall isis music hall](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/fh--f9gUvIA/maxresdefault.jpg)
![isis music hall isis music hall](https://assets.simpleviewinc.com/simpleview/image/fetch/b_rgb:e5e4df,c_pad,g_center,h_450,q_60,w_600/https://assets.simpleviewinc.com/simpleview/image/upload/crm/asheville/Pierce-Edens-Crowd-EA_64c86a52-5056-a36a-0abacd392665a829.jpg)
"This was told by someone who allegedly saw him, but I can't verify that." Mr Cooper says Ismail attended the mosque on the night of the bombing. Mr Haffar says Ismail Abedi used to frequent the mosque more than the rest of the family and was volunteering at the Arabic school, teaching language. "There's a conflict of reports," says the witness. Mr Haffar says he knew little of Ramadan Abedi, but he was engaged at the mosque until around 2005-6. Mosque 'opposed to extremism', witness says The attack claimed 22 lives and injured hundreds more people. The 22-year-old detonated a device in a backpack at 10.31pm on May 22, 2017, as concert-goers were leaving an Ariana Grande gig at the venue. The inquiry - sitting in Manchester - has now moved to consider evidence relating to 'preventability' on the part of Abedi and the attack he launched. Bomber's friend reveals 'farewell' phone call from Salman Abedi days before Manchester Arena attack.The inquiry was also due to hear from Fawzi Haffar, chair of the trustees at the Manchester Islamic Centre, which is based near Manchester Metropolitan University off Oxford Road. Evidence relating to the radicalisation and background of suicide bomber Salman Abedi and others was continuing to be heard today at the public inquiry into the Manchester Arena atrocity.ĭet Chief Supt Simon Barraclough, who led the police investigation into the bombing, was resuming his evidence on Tuesday.