The Crime Agents

The Manchester Arena bombing was the deadliest terror attack in Britain in a decade. Salman Abedi killed 22 people - including children and teenagers - when he detonated a bomb at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017. But how was he able to do it? And how was his brother finally brought to justice years later?Neil was a senior counter-terrorism figure at the time. He reveals how the security services responded, where the intelligence failures were, and the painstaking effort to prosecute Hashem Abedi for his role in the plot.Andy had spent months in Manchester before the attack, investigating a different terror cell, and explains how so many members of a community on one Moss Side estate became radicalised by ISIS.Plus, they both explain how the tragedy led to Martyn's Law, and whether what we learned from this attack is enough to prevent the next one.Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Nearly 60,000 suspects skipped court in England and Wales last year. Thousands still haven't been found.Investigative journalist Matt Shea has spent months tracking down some of Britain's most wanted fugitives – from safehouses in North London to red light districts in Thailand – for his Channel 4 Dispatches film Hunting Britain's Fugitives. He joins Andy and Neil to reveal how he found people the system hasn't caught up with, and why so many suspects now feel emboldened to simply not show up.Plus they discuss what exactly has gone so wrong with British justice that attending court feels optional, and what would it take to fix it.Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagentsThe Crime Agents is a Global production, available every Monday and Thursday on Global Player, YouTube or wherever you get your shows. Make sure you subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Levi Bellfield was the first British prisoner to be sentenced to not one, but two whole life orders. He murdered three women, including the schoolgirl Milly Dowler, and was also convicted of multiple rapes and another attempted murder. In this episode, Andy & Neil speak to Neil Lancaster, one of the detectives who was a key part of the surveillance team which led to Bellfield's arrest, and hear what it was like to tail this monster for days on end.Neil Lancaster explains how he felt watching such an evil character up close - and how the killer very nearly escaped police's clutches as the surveillance operation reached a dramatic conclusion.Neil L spent decades as a detective working on cases such as Levi Bellfield's, but he's now one of the country's most popular & successful crime writers. He tells Andy and Neil how he's used his real-life experience to create memorable characters and gripping plots - and gives Neil Basu a few tips along the way as well!Follow us on social media: @thecrimeagents