If the "friend" was foreign he probably would not know much about Manchester gangs, so it is a reasonable question to ask, like whether he/she is a grown-up or not.

If he/she could not follow British news because of location or language, they would have little understanding of what happened in Manchester.

All the suggestions I made had a bearing on how reliable as a source of information he/she was.
Nothing to do with race or racism.
That is always what you shout when you lose an argument.

You are obsessed with it.
"Britain is a deeply racist country."
Racist anti-Traveller signs "are common throughout Britain."
Abedi's friend was "killed in a racist attack."

All bollocks Jim.

Now tell us about what Abedi's sister said, and everything you know about this "friend."