(BBC) Messages between the Manchester Arena bomber and an Islamic State recruiter were held by police for years, but the killer was not identified until months after the attack, an inquiry has heard.
The inquiry into the atrocity was told the texts showed Salman Abedi providing his full name and discussing martyrdom.
They were found on a phone seized from Abdalraouf Abdallah in November 2014.
The subsequent prosecution of Abdallah relied on the messages, but police did not immediately identify Abedi.
The Manchester Arena inquiry has been looking at what was known about Abedi before the May 2017 bombing, which killed 22 people and injured hundreds more.
