London - Manchester bomber Salman Abedi was given the go-ahead for his suicide attack by online Islamic extremists. Hard-liners urged him to "show no mercy" before the blast which killed 22 and injured more than 100 at the Ariana Grande concert. And a series of sinister messages have revealed he was planning the outrage at least nine months before he blew himself up. The FBI has obtained details of shadowy internet conversations between Abedi and suspected extremists in Syria and the US. He had logged on to ask for advice about his rucksack murder plot. Two of the men involved in the secret discussions were arrested just weeks before the deadly attack at the Manchester Arena on May 22. One message, believed to be from Abedi, said: "Sheikh, I live in Manchester. I live among non-Muslims. I have found work with them. Am I allowed to kill them? Is it permitted to kill them with a bomb?" The unamed sheikh, who is thought to have been a member of Islamic State living in Syria, replied with a quote from the Koran: "Fight the pagans all together." An American, understood to be Said Azzam Mohamad Rahim, allegedly said: "To the boy from Manchester I say, OK, kill them! Show no mercy to civilians."
