Manchester bomber Salman Abedi was urged to "show no mercy" by online Islamic extremists ahead of deadly terror attack
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Manchester bomber Salman Abedi was given the go-ahead for his suicide attack by online Islamic extremists.
Hard-liners urged him to “show no mercy” before the blast which killed 22 and injured more than 100 at the Ariana Grande concert.
And a series of sinister messages have revealed he was planning the outrage at least nine months before he blew himself up.
The FBI has obtained details of shadowy internet conversations between Abedi and suspected extremists in Syria and the US.
He had logged on to ask for advice about his rucksack murder plot.
(Image: Internet Unknown)
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Two of the men involved in the secret discussions were arrested just weeks before the deadly attack at the Manchester Arena on May 22.
One message, believed to be from Abedi, said: “Sheikh, I live in Manchester. I live among non-Muslims. I have found work with them. Am I allowed to kill them? Is it permitted to kill them with a bomb?”
The unamed sheikh, who is thought to have been a member of Islamic State living in Syria, replied with a quote from the Koran: “Fight the pagans all together.”
An American, understood to be Said Azzam Mohamad Rahim, allegedly said: “To the boy from Manchester I say, OK, kill them! Show no mercy to civilians.”
(Image: PA)
Rahim was arrested by police in Dallas, Texas, in March, as he tried to board a plane to Jordan.
He was later charged with making false statements to the FBI about his support for IS.
Rahim, 40, is said to have praised the New Years Eve shooting which left 39 dead at an Istanbul nightclub and the lorry attack in Nice, France, in July last year, in which 84 people died.
A third man, believed to be Mouner El Aoual, 28, a Moroccan-born Islamist living in Italy, is understood to have followed but not contributed to the conversations.
He was arrested in Turin in April on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack.
(Image: SWNS - Leeds SWNS.com)
It has been claimed he supported the IS plan to establish an Islamic Caliphate and encouraged attacks on “unbelievers”.
Abedi, 22, used the secure messaging app Zello to communicate with his supporters.
The app, which was allegedly used before the Istanbul terror attack, combines social media with telephone and radio functions.
It is designed for use on smart phones, tablets and computers and allows users to speak to others who haves the app.
Zello can run on little battery power, so people in areas far from electrical power supplies can use it.