Manchester Arena: Ex-bomb suspect regained citizenship in MI5 U-turn

A former suspect in the Manchester Arena bombing had his British citizenship revoked and then returned after MI5 changed its view on his role in the attack, the BBC can reveal.

Mohammed Soliman, 26, was arrested in Libya after having his citizenship revoked on suspicion that he had helped prepare the May 2017 attack.

He appealed the decision, saying he was ill-treated during his detention in Libya.

But the government avoided a court case by restoring his citizenship to him in 2021.

He always said he didn’t knowingly help the bombers.

The Home Office declined to answer specific questions about the case but said Britain has one of the most robust counter-terrorism systems in the world.

By not proceeding to a full hearing, the court took into account Mr Soliman’s allegations about the ill-treatment in Libya or how his arrest came about, including the role of British intelligence.

He was held for eight months, his mother said in a police testimony.

The BBC was told he was arrested based on information from the UK.

Reporting restrictions preventing Mr Soliman from being named in connection with these events have now been lifted after the BBC wrote to the court, allowing the story to be told for the first time.

22 people were killed and hundreds injured when Salman Abedi detonated a suicide bomb at the end of an Ariana Grande concert.

MI5 has publicly stated that in its assessment no one other than Salman and his brother Hashem Abedi, who is serving a life sentence, was knowingly involved in the bombing.

A public inquiry last week criticized MI5’s decision-making before the attack. It also said the brothers were likely helped by an unknown source in Libya.

Over 20 people were arrested in the first weeks of the police investigation.

A key feature of the case soon emerged: the Abedi brothers had asked several friends and relatives to buy chemicals used to make the bomb.

Among them was Mr Soliman, who worked with Hashem Abedi at a diner.

He bought 10 liters of sulfuric acid in March 2017 using his own bank details and Amazon account.

The chemical was delivered to Mr Soliman’s home and officers searched the property after the attack.

All those questioned about buying chemicals denied knowing about the bombing and said Hashem Abedi claimed he had legitimate reasons for needing help buying the products. No one was charged and some witnessed the prosecution at Hashem Abedi’s trial.

However, Mr Soliman was not in the UK or about to return so was not questioned by police and did not give his version of events.

He had flown out of Manchester in April of the same year and eventually made his way to stay with his family in Benghazi, Libya.

In July 2017, Home Secretary Amber Rudd revoked his citizenship. As is usual in such cases, she was acting on the advice of MI5.

In the same month he was arrested by Libyan law enforcement agencies.

Mr Soliman appealed the deprivation of his citizenship to the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC).

The government justified its action by saying that he was an associate of Salman Abedi and may have known about the bomb attack beforehand and helped prepare it.

SIAC is a semi-secret court, and many of its hearings and verdicts are never made public because they contain sensitive evidence the government says they are not allowed to reveal.

Mr. Soliman’s case took place in complete secrecy.

It ended in July 2021 without a full hearing. Then-Home Secretary Priti Patel “decided to withdraw the decision” to strip Mr Soliman of his British citizenship, according to the formal document confirming the move.

In doing so she was also acting on advice from MI5, but her advice had changed – without Mr Soliman ever having been questioned by British police.

As part of the appeal, Mr Soliman claimed he was “imprisoned and ill-treated” abroad after his citizenship was revoked.

The BBC was told that his arrest in Libya was ultimately based on information from the UK.

He was not publicly named in the UK in connection with the case until Hashem Abedi’s trial. His arrest in Libya could therefore not be based on publicly available information.

It is a contentious issue because British police have not made any formal requests to arrest and question suspects in Libya, partly because of the possible allegations of torture and British complicity.

Hashem Abedi was arrested the day after the arena attack in Libya after his brother was named as the assassin. British authorities have declined to request his arrest. He was extradited to the UK in 2019 and later claimed he was tortured during interrogation in Libya.

His attorneys included these allegations in an unsuccessful attempt to have his trial dropped in 2020.

The families of two victims told the BBC how police said that if Mohammed Soliman had been in the UK he would have been tried alongside Hashem Abedi.

Caroline Curry, of South Shields, whose 19-year-old son Liam was killed, said that at the time of the trial a senior detective had claimed Mr Soliman “was next to him who would have been charged with 22 counts of murder”.

Liam died alongside his girlfriend Chloe Rutherford, 17, whose family says they were told the same thing.

Both families believe detectives believed he would not return and the claims were not being investigated. In fact, no prosecution decision was ever made.

After Mr Soliman’s citizenship was restored, he returned to the UK in October 2021 and was arrested on arrival.

He answered investigators’ questions and denied knowing anything about the bombing.

In a testimony, Mr Soliman said Hashem Abedi pressured him into letting him use his bank card, saying he needed it to buy car engine oil.

“I was not aware and did not suspect that Hashem and/or Salman were planning to attack any place or person or to carry out any form of terrorist attack,” his statement said.

Mr Soliman also said his flight from Manchester was planned before Hashem bought the sulfuric acid and he would eventually go to Libya where he was due to enroll in university.

He was told by the police that he would not be charged with any crime and would not face any further action.

The BBC have tried to reach out to Mr Soliman for comment but have received no reply.

Greater Manchester Police declined to comment.

The Interior Ministry said: “The government, in cooperation with our world-class police, security and intelligence services, will always take the strongest measures to protect national security and public safety.”

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