The elder brother of the Manchester Arena bomber has been convicted in his absence of failing to appear at the public inquiry into the attack.
Ismail Abedi, 28, whose whereabouts are currently unknown, had refused to co-operate with the public inquiry despite being ordered by the chairman, Sir John Saunders, to attend to give evidence.
The terror attack which killed 22 people was carried our by Ismail’s brother Salman, 22, with the help of another brother Hashem, 24.
Ismail was arrested shortly after the bombing but was released without charge and has denied involvement or knowledge of the plot.
His whereabouts have been unknown since he flew to Turkey on August 29 last year, failing to comply with the inquiry chairman's order to attend in October. He was able to leave the country despite being stopped by police at an airport 24 hours earlier, and has failed to return.
His lawyers said he was questioned for six hours after being stopped at Manchester Airport and his electronic devices “were seized and examined before he was allowed to travel some 24 hours later.”
He had already been stopped in 2015 at Heathrow Airport and his phone was found to have a "significant" amount of "very disturbing" material described as of an "Islamic State-mindset" on it.
He had been described as a key witness for the inquiry, which wanted to ask about how his younger brothers had been radicalised. He also had potential evidence to give, the inquiry heard, on the preparation of the bomb, given his DNA was found on a hammer in a car used to store the explosives.
At Manchester Magistrates' Court on Thursday, when his trial was due to begin, District Judge Jack McGarva found him guilty of failing without reasonable excuse to do something required by a section 21 notice.
The judge adjourned the case to August 2 and said if Abedi does not attend that hearing a warrant will be issued for his arrest. He would consider what sentence he would be given, he said.
He said: "The court is bound to consider passing a custodial sentence. There is a very high level of public interest in ensuring people co-operate with public inquiries."
He said Abedi could have given evidence on "some really key points that the families of the deceased would have really appreciated having answers to".
Nicholas de la Poer QC, prosecuting, said: "The prosecution submits that you can be sure from the chronology that the defendant from the first was determined not to co-operate with the inquiry.
"He has prevaricated, he has obfuscated, he has thrown up every obstacle he could think of.
"When those failed, he fled the jurisdiction.
"In the end it comes down to this: he was lawfully required to attend, he did not attend and there is no good reason for him not attending."
Ismail was branded a “coward” late last year after he fled the UK to avoid questions at the public inquiry.
Angry relatives of the victims said: “His absence speaks volumes”.
The court heard that Abedi had previously said he did not want to answer the inquiry's questions because he was concerned about risk of self-incrimination, had already been questioned by police, and was concerned for the safety of himself and his family.
His lawyers previously said: “The inquiry is aware of the hostile media coverage that Mr Abedi has already received. This has led to the police helping to secure his home and family against attack.
“He has refused engagement with the media over safety concerns since the time of the attack and has been assigned a new identity to protect him.”
Earlier this year the inquiry heard Ismail, an IT worker, was also using the name Ben Romdhan.
Paul Greaney QC, counsel to the inquiry, said Ismail had been “able to flee and laugh in the face of the inquiry”.
And a statement read outside the inquiry on Thursday by Sean Gordon from legal firm Slater and Gordon, which represents some of the families, said: “A man who had genuinely rejected extremism would want to help the search for truth and would have been here today.
"Ismail Abedi is clearly not such a person but has taken the coward’s way out.
“His absence speaks volumes. We want to put on record our horror [he] could be allowed to leave the country in the face of an upcoming appearance at a statutory inquiry, which he had been ordered to attend.”
Islamist extremist Salman killed himself when he detonated a home-made device after an Ariana Grande concert.
The brothers' father, Ramadan Abedi, was associated with the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, a militia that had links with terror organisation al Qaida, the public inquiry heard.
He lives in Libya, has also not co-operated with the inquiry, and police want to question him as a suspect.
Hashem Abedi, 24, was jailed for life for the 22 murders at the Arena by assisting with the bomb plot.
