Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi gave a 'hateful look' to an Imam after he gave a mosque sermon denouncing extremism, an inquiry has heard.
Salman Abedi, 22, detonated a suicide bomb during an Ariana Grande concert at the venue on May 22, 2017, killing 22 people and injuring hundreds more.
The Manchester-born attacker arrived back in the UK from a five-week trip to Libya just four days prior to the incident.
Mohammed El-Saeiti, a former Imam at the Manchester Islamic Centre, known as the Didsbury mosque, gave evidence at an inquiry into the terror attack on Wednesday.
He recalled receiving online death threats following his speech at the mosque on the day so-called Islamic State claimed it was responsible for the murder of Manchester taxi driver Alan Henning in October 2014.
Handout file photo issued by Greater Manchester Police of the CCTV image of Salman Abedi at Victoria Station making his way to the Manchester Arena, on May 22, 2017
Salman Abedi was seen 'adjusting wiring' underneath his clothes in the moments leading up to the devastating terror attack which left 22 people dead on May 22, 2017
Police near the scene of the Manchester Arena bombing in May 2017
An 'inciteful' Facebook message by Abedi's father, Ramadan, was also posted in which he urged worshippers to 'isolate' the Imam to avoid the mosque being closed by the UK Government.
The public inquiry into the terror attack heard the sermon denouncing terrorism also resulted in a petition calling for Mr El-Saeiti's calling for his dismissal, with signatories including Abedi's brothers Hashem and Ismail.
Mr El-Saeiti said mosque trustees admonished him for talking about politics and warned him threats had been made to harm him if he returned to the pulpit.
He told the inquiry: 'I was speaking about the sanctity of human life. So I didn't mention political groups. I'm not affiliated with any political party, I was just basically combatting terrorism and extremism.'
He said he made reference to Islamic State, al-Qaeda and Libyan-based Islamist militia groups Ansar al-Sharia and the Shura Council of Benghazi Revolutionaries, who he called 'dogs of hellfire'.
At the end of the sermon. though, a man snatched the microphone and accused him of expressing political views, he said.
Mr El-Saeiti continued: 'This man was a cardiologist. I told him he should feel ashamed to defend Isis. I did tell him in front of the congregation.'
Weeks later Salman and Hashem Abedi were sat 'very close' to the pulpit and he could see from Salman's face 'he was not happy with me', he added.
A total of 22 people, many of them children, died in the terror attack at the Manchester Arena on May 22 2017. Pictured: Armed police stand guard outside the arena following the terror attack in 2017
The terror attack claimed 22 lives at Manchester Arena and injured hundreds more
Mr El-Saeiti said: 'One of the congregation told me he sent his children to sit behind them in case 'they might do something to you'.'
Shortly after, he had a second encounter with Salman in a corridor at the mosque, the inquiry heard.
The former Imam said: 'He gave me a hateful look. He showed me that he didn't like me, basically.'
He said he went on to phone Ramadan Abedi because he believed his Facebook post had incited harm against him.
Mr El-Saeiti said: 'He said to me "you spoke about the
