Terrorist who influenced Manchester Arena bomber walks free from jail 2 months after parole board deemed him ‘high risk’
A TERRORIST who influenced the Manchester Arena bomber has walked free from jail – two months after a parole board deemed him “high risk”.
Abdalraouf Abdallah, 31, was released from HMP Full Sutton in East Yorkshire yesterday.
Islamic extremist Abdallah was a childhood friend of Manchester Arena suicide bomber Salman Abedi.
An inquiry into the Manchester attack found Abdallah played an “important” role in radicalising Abedi.
Abdallah’s release comes just two months after the Parole Board refused to free him early.
The board said he posed a “high risk of serious harm to the public” and still had a “propensity to radicalise others”.
He is now eligible for automatic release after completing his sentence.
Abdallah was first jailed in 2016 after he was found guilty of preparing and funding acts of terrorism.
The charges related to Abdallah helping four others including his brother Mohammed travel to war-torn Syria to join Isis.
While in prison, Abdallah was visited by Salman Abedi – and experts believe he groomed the future Manchester Arena bomber.
Abdallah has denied any involvement in the 2017 atrocity, which killed 22 people and injured dozens more at an Ariana Grande concert.
He is paraplegic after he was injured while fighting in the Libyan uprising in 2011, and was diagnosed with PTSD.
Abdallah was first released from prison in 2020 after serving a five-and-a-half year term.
But he was recalled to prison for breaching his licence conditions in 2021.
In September the Parole Board found that Abdallah “played a significant role in radicalising the Manchester Arena bomber”.
The board added: “There was no evidence that he was involved in the attack itself or had any pre-knowledge of it.”
‘HIGH RISK’
While in prison, Abdallah has taken part in courses tackling extremist beliefs and terrorist activity.
But his probation officer, prison officer and psychologist still did not support his release.
Assessments found that Abdallah posed a “high risk of serious harm to the public”.
And psychologists said Abdallah still showed “levels of engagement with extremism and intent to commit terrorist-related offending”.
A plan for Abdallah’s release was deemed “not robust enough” given that he “retained a propensity to radicalise others”.
The board said there was not enough evidence showing a change in Abdallah’s extremist mindset.
A government spokesperson said: “The Manchester Arena bombing was one of the most tragic and cowardly attacks this country has ever seen.
“Our thoughts remain with the victims and their families.
“The UK has robust measures in place to manage the risk posed by terrorist offenders released from prison and those involved in terrorism-related activity in the community.”