The brother of the Manchester Arena bomber , Salman Abedi, has been extradited from Libya to Britain to face multiple murder charges over his alleged role in the attack. Hashem Abedi, 20, landed at an unspecified London airport on Wednesday, escorted by British police officers. He has been charged with the murder of 22 people, the attempted murder of others who were injured, and conspiracy to cause an explosion. He remains in police custody in London and will appear at Westminster magistrates court. Abedi was arrested in Libya shortly after his older brother carried out the suicide bombing as thousands of pop music fans left an Ariana Grande concert on May 22, 2017. Counterterrorism officers had been granted a warrant for Hashem’s arrest but spent years negotiating his extradition with Libyan authorities. Greater Manchester police chief constable Ian Hopkins, said: “Our thoughts have been with the families of those who lost loved ones and the hundreds who are struggling with serious physical injuries and deep psychological effects. “They have always been central to our investigation and will continue to be so at all times.” Hopkins said Hashem Abedi was handed over by Libyan authorities to British police officers on Wednesday morning. “They escorted him on the flight back and he landed in the UK a short while ago,” he said. Royal Navy rescued accused Ariana Grande gig suicide bomber Families of the victims and survivors were the first to be informed. Elkan Abrahamson, a lawyer representing some of the families affected by the terror attack, said: “The families have consistently been concerned about the security failings during the Manchester terror attack and they want any criminal proceedings against Hashem Abedi to conclude quickly and in time for the public inquiry next year.” The time taken to return Abedi to Britain has meant the inquests into the deaths were delayed, with family members of the victims told that the full hearings were not likely to begin until April 2020 at the earliest. The former British ambassador to Libya Peter Millett, who began Hashem Abedi’s extradition process two years ago while still in office, welcomed news of his arrival in the UK. “I handed over the extradition documents in October 2017 to the Libyan attorney general. It has been a long drawn-out process, because of the complexities of extradition law in the UK and Libya. It was important to be scrupulous,” he said. Home Secretary Sajid Javid said the extradition was an important step forward in the investigation into the attack. “It’s important we now let the law take its full course,” he said. “My thoughts remain with the victims and their families who have endured so much. I would also like to pay tribute to the continued efforts of the dedicated police officers and all others who have worked tirelessly on this case.” Was radicalisation a family affair for Manchester bomber? Abedi had been held since his arrest in May 2017 by Rada, the most powerful of Tripoli’s militias, at its base at Mitiga airport. Rada is allied to the UN-backed Tripoli government, and has won some support in the city for its campaigns against Islamic State and the city’s narcotics gangs. But it caused controversy in 2017 when it arrested 140 participants of a comic book convention, saying it was investigating them for satanism and pornography. The jail that held Abedi, inside the airport, holds dozens of terror suspects and gunmen, and has twice this year been attacked by rival militias trying to free members being held there.