A mosque visited by the Manchester Arena bomber failed to monitor extremist literature and did not record decisions about an imam said to have fought in Libya, a report has found.
The concerns were detailed in an ‘action plan’ that regulator the Charity Commission issued to Didsbury Mosque administrators in 2018, but which has only just been made public.
The committee investigated concerns that following the bomb attack by Islamic extremist Salman Abedi (22) in May 2017, in which 22 people were killed, ‘it was alleged that pamphlets with inappropriate and possibly extremist messages had been distributed in the premises during an open day’. .
Charity Commission officials said that while it was ‘clear that the leaflets came from another organization and were not produced by the charity’, it was ‘still unclear’ whether the publication had been ‘distributed by the charity’.
The report said administrators at the mosque, run by registered charity The Islamic Center (Manchester), had ‘no formal method of monitoring the literature available through the charity and its library’.
Handout file photo issued by Greater Manchester Police of the CCTV image of Salman Abedi at Victoria Station on his way to the Manchester Arena, on May 22, 2017, where he detonated his bomb
A police van passes the Didsbury Mosque in Didsbury, Manchester, North West England, on May 24, 2017
Head Imam of the Manchester Islamic Centre, Mustafa Graf. He was filmed by news broadcasters wearing military fatigues in Libya during the revolution that toppled Colonel Gaddafi in 2011.
Trustees were advised to ‘establish a written policy to manage the availability and distribution of material from the charity’s premises’ and ‘specify how inappropriate literature is reported to the relevant authorities’.
The leaflet allegedly states that ‘modesty, shame and honor have no place in Western civilization’.
The mosque also failed to inform the Charity Commission of a ‘serious incident’ when it was linked to the Abedi family – despite this being a legal requirement.
The action plan stated: ‘The trustees have not filed an RSI (Serious Incident Report) with the Commission in relation to the alleged links between the charity and an act of terrorism.’
In addition, the action plan showed that the mosque did not keep records of “an important decision regarding the suspension and reinstatement” of Mustafa Graf, an imam with ties to extremism.
Graf was filmed by news channels in military uniforms in Libya during the revolution that toppled Colonel Gaddafi in 2011.
He claimed he was there to help his parents and brothers flee the fighting, but in a video report made by the French news agency AFP, a British fighter named Mostafa Abdallah Graf described the preparations for the battle.
Another imam at Didsbury Mosque claimed Mr Graf preached support for Islamic militant factions in Libya linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS), and it was claimed he referred to ‘jihad’.
Abedi and his jailed accomplice brother, Hashem Abedi (pictured), attended the Didsbury Mosque, while the elder brother, Ismail, who had fled Britain, volunteered at the mosque’s Arabic school
Sir John Saunders (pictured), chairman of the Manchester Arena inquiry, criticized Didsbury Mosque leaders for showing ‘willful blindness’ to extremism
The Charity Commission said: ‘Trustees had not made a major decision on the suspension and reinstatement of Mustafa Graf in 2017.
‘The trustees must keep sufficient records to make their collective decision-making visible, and keep these records for at least six years.’
The mosque was also ordered to ensure that anyone using the ‘Sharia Council’, which provides rulings and advice to Muslims, is “aware that no ruling it makes is legally binding.”
The Charity Commission initially declined to provide its 2018 action plan following a freedom of information request last year. It was eventually released on orders from the Information Commissioner’s Office.
The chairman of the Manchester Arena public inquiry, Sir John Saunders, criticized Didsbury mosque leaders for showing “willful blindness” to extremism – although he concluded the mosque was “not an active factor or cause ‘ was for Abedi’s radicalization.
Abedi and his imprisoned accomplice brother, Hashem Abedi, attended the Didsbury Mosque, while the older brother, Ismail, who had fled Britain, volunteered at the mosque’s Arabic school. Their father, Ramadan Abedi, had performed the call to prayer while their mother, Samia Tabbal, briefly taught there. The family also visited other mosques.
The action plan was drawn up by the Charity Commission following a two-day inspection in August 2018, giving trustees six months to address the concerns. The Charity Commission says the proposed actions were ‘complied’ in 2019.
Richard Scorer, a lawyer representing the largest group of Arena families, said: “This plan should have been made public much sooner.
Armed police officers patrol the streets of Manchester following the arena explosion on May 22, 2017
In the photo, police officers speak to people who attended the Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena
“The public has a right to know what is going on and there should have been transparency from the start.”
In a statement, the Islamic Center (Manchester) insisted that ‘no link was ever established’ between Abedi’s attack and the mosque – although they accepted that he had allegedly prayed there.
The trustees insisted that his relationship with the mosque was ‘already largely in the public domain’, so they did not think they needed to make a report.
Meanwhile, the failure to record Mr. Graf’s suspension and reinstatement was “due to an error.”