Manchester bomber transited through Istanbul airport, no record of traveling to Syria: Turkish official

ANKARA - Reuters

AFP photo

The suicide bomber who killed 22 people in Manchester passed through Istanbul on his way to Europe but there were no records of him entering Syria during his travels, Turkish security officials told Reuters on May 25.
   
They said Turkey received no warning from European countries about the bomber, Salman Abedi, so he was allowed to travel on  to Europe.
   
Describing Abedi's movements before the attack, one official said: "There is flight traffic before his arrival to Europe. He travels first to Europe, then to a third country and then to Istanbul and back to Europe."
   
He said the "third country" was not Syria.
   
"He has not spent any time in Turkey (and) he has not had an entry or exit from Syria during his travels, there is no such information in his records," the official said.