LONDON: On the recommendation of the MI5 intelligence agency, the government on Saturday dropped a court case against a man suspected of helping the Manchester Arena bomber, according to the BBC. However, he later got back his British citizenship.

Following a tip from British security services, which revealed that Mohammed Soliman, 26, had bought 10 liters of sulfuric acid online for the bomber's brother, Hashem Abidi, Libyan authorities took Soliman into custody.

The information was made public as part of an investigation into Salman Abidi's 2017 attack, which injured hundreds and killed 22.

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Soliman claimed that he endured abuse in prison during his eight-month detention after his British citizenship was revoked and his arrest in Libya.

The 26-year-old insisted that he did not actively assist the Abedi brothers in the attack and that he only bought the chemicals after being informed that Hashem needed them for "legitimate reasons".

The public inquiry criticized MI5, which oversaw the investigation into the attack and is in charge of monitoring and thwarting terror plots, for failing to prevent the bombings.

The investigation suggests that the Abedi brothers may have contacted a number of friends and acquaintances to request the purchase of chemicals prior to the attack, contrary to MI5's claim that the Abedi brothers carried out the bombing alone.

Before the attack in May 2017, Soliman, who shared a restaurant with Hashem, was approached and persuaded to buy 10 liters of sulfuric acid.

Police searched his home after the attack and found chemical residue, but Soliman had been visiting family in the Libyan city of Benghazi a month earlier.

He was not questioned by British police or MI5 about his possible involvement in the bombings following his arrest and detention in Libya.

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After filing an appeal, the then Home Secretary Priti Patel restored her citizenship in 2021.

According to the BBC, MI5 advised a U-turn after determining that the Abedi brothers had acted alone without questioning Soliman.

But when Soliman finally returned to the UK in 2021, he was immediately detained and later released after questioning.

He said in a witness statement that Hasham had urged him to allow the brothers to use his bank account to buy engine oil.

Soliman said, "I was not aware and did not suspect that Hashem and/or Salman had planned to attack any place, person, or conduct any type of terrorist attack."

He said he had already planned a trip to see family in Libya before the bombing. The police informed him that he would not be charged.

Hashem was detained in Libya the day after the bombing after his brother who was killed in the attack was identified.

He was extradited to the UK in 2019, after claiming to have been tortured while being held in Libya. A year later, he was given a life sentence with a minimum of 55 years in prison.

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The families of the victims told the BBC that Soliman would probably have received the same sentence as Hashem if he had remained in the UK.

A detective reportedly told Caroline Curry, whose 19-year-old son was killed in the bombing, that Soliman "would have been with him (Hashem), who was charged with 22 counts of murder."

"Working with our world-class police, security and intelligence agencies, the government will always take the strongest action possible to protect national security and public safety," according to a Home Office statement.