A CCTV image taken 19 seconds before the Manchester Arena bomber unleashed carnage on an unsuspecting crowd has been shown in court.
On May 22 2017, Salman Abedi, 22, detonated a homemade device packed with shrapnel as 359 people milled around the Arena foyer – one minute after an Ariana Grande concert ended.
The suicide attack left 22 innocent people dead and hundreds more injured, the Old Bailey has heard.
In it, Salman was seen wearing a large Karrimor rucksack containing the bomb.
The court heard 14,054 people had attended the pop concert that night and 359 people were in the foyer at the time of the detonation.
Security and medical staff provided first aid and checked for signs of life immediately after the blast.
British Transport Police officers from Victoria Station were the first to arrive at the scene.
A “major incident” was declared and a triage medical station was set up on the Victoria Station concourse for paramedics to treat the wounded.
All living casualties were moved out by 11.30pm and 19 people were confirmed dead at the scene, jurors heard.
The father of 15-year-old victim Megan Hurley remained with her body until after 1am, the court heard.
Salman Abedi’s body was recovered in four parts and was riddled with nuts, wire and metal parts, jurors were told.
He was identified by his DNA and finger prints taken in 2012 when he was arrested for shop lifting, the court heard.
In the days before the Ariana Grande concert, the 20,000 capacity Manchester Arena had hosted a series of Take That concerts and a Professor Brian Cox Live event.
Earlier on May 22 2017, Salman had arranged to send £460 to Libya, jurors heard.
He was caught on CCTV footage leaving his rented flat on Granby Row in Manchester with a large suitcase then returning empty handed.
Later, he went out with his rucksack and took a Metrolink tram to Victoria Station in Manchester.
The bomber remained in the area of the Manchester Arena for two hours before detonating his device at 10.31pm.
Hashem Abedi, 22, who was in Libya with his family at the time of the attack, has denied 22 counts of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to cause explosions.
After the blast, police forensic investigators recovered 1,675 nyloc nuts, 156 flanged nuts, 663 plain nuts and 11 fragments from the deceased, survivors and the crime scene. The majority of the nuts, measuring 8mm, 10mm and 12mm, had been damaged.
Numerous parts of yellow and black metal screws were also recovered, but due to their damaged state they could not be quantified accurately.
A further 24 nuts were recovered during renovation works at the arena last year.
Detectives also found metal fragments from a paint tin and lid and a drinks can.
As well as Salman Abedi’s shredded clothing, mobile phone and bank card, they found a quantity of wires, an electrical rocker switch and battery fragments.
The trial continues.
