A taxi driver who took the Manchester Arena bomber on his last journey has described how the killer gave him a Koran – and said: “Pray for me, brother.”

Tariq Nadeem picked up Salman Abedi from the taxi rank at Manchester’s Piccadilly station and took him, via his bomb factory and a cashpoint, to Shudehill tram stop.

From there, Abedi caught a tram to the Manchester Arena where he launched his attack just over two hours later.

Abedi had left the flat where he made his bomb at 7.41pm on 22 May 2017, wheeling an empty blue Kangol suitcase that he had used to transport the explosives across the city.

At some point between Back Acton Street and Minshull Street South, he dumped the suitcase, which was never found.

Mr Nadeem explained how he then picked up Abedi at the mainline station, telling the inquiry into the bombing: “He approached me from the front nearside window and said ‘Can you take me to Shudehill via Granby Row?’ and then he got into my taxi.”

At Granby Row, the fee was about £3.70, but Abedi gave the driver a £5 note and asked him to wait before disappearing into Granby House.

He emerged six minutes later with the rucksack on his back containing the bomb.

“The first thing that stuck me was that the rucksack appeared very heavy, it was an extended rucksack, it was strapped to his back and he was carrying it with great difficulty,” Mr Nadeem said.

Abedi got the cab driver to stop at Nicholas Street so that he could get out and get some cash, still wearing the rucksack on his back.

As they were driving along Manchester High Street, Abedi asked Mr Nadeem if he could give him “a gift”.

Mr Nadeem told the inquiry: “He gave me a small copy of the Koran that people normally carry on them to read at their own convenience. It didn’t look brand new.

“Then we had a conversation, I said ‘Thank you’ – being a Muslim the Koran is very dear to us. It is the message of Allah.

“He said ‘Please pray for me, brother’. These were his words.”

At around 8.15pm, Mr Nadeem dropped him off in Shudehill near the bus station.

Just over two hours later at 10.31pm, Abedi blew himself up at Manchester Arena, killing 22 people.

The public inquiry is looking into the events before, during and after the attack.

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