Soldiers will hit streets

CONCERT HORROR Britain on alert as terror threat raised to critical

UP to 5000 heavily-armed soldiers will be deployed on streets across the UK as the terror threat was raised to “critical” following the deaths of 22 people in the suicide blast at Manchester Arena.

Prime Minister Theresa May yesterday raised the terror threat level from severe to critical for the first time in almost 10 years, meaning the risk of terrorists striking on UK soil was imminent.

Thousands of locals packed central city streets in Manchester, in northern England, to honour those killed and injured when local man Salman Abedi, 22, set off a bomb packed with nails, bolts and ball-bearings at a concert by American pop star Ariana Grande.

They vowed not to be defeated or divided by terrorism, with Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham saying: “Today it will be business as usual as far as possible in our great city.”

But in Downing Street, officials warned the PM that the risk of another terror strike was critical.

“The police have asked for authorisation from the Secretary of State for Defence to deploy a number of military personnel in support of their armed officers,” Mrs May said, after chairing a second emergency meeting of the National Security Committee.

The Government has activated Operation Temperer, a plan to replace police patrols with up to 5000 heavily-armed troops, and increase police presence at major sporting events and tourist landmarks.

While soldiers patrolling are commonplace in continental Europe, it is highly unusual in the UK.

But with two mass-casualty terror attacks in two months — both by British-born Muslim men — the UK is facing the same Islamist threat which has been menacing Europe for more than two decades.

Mrs May said she did not want to “unduly alarm” the public, but warned “it is a possibility we cannot ignore that there is a wider group of individuals linked to this attack”.

With the FA Cup final scheduled for Saturday at Wembley Stadium, it is likely the public will see troops patrolling this weekend.

Distraught pop princess Grande, whose fan base is heavily made up of young girls and teenagers, flew into her home city of Boca Raton in Florida.

She stepped off a private jet and into the arms of her boyfriend Mac Miller.

She has tweeted that she is “broken” by the carnage unleashed on her young fans and has suspended her Dangerous Woman tour of Europe.

Queen Elizabeth, who was hosting a garden party for 8000 people at Buckingham Palace, led a minute’s silence on Tuesday for the Manchester victims, accompanied by Prince Philip, Prince Charles, Camilla and Princess Eugenie.

She had earlier issued a statement expressing her deepest sympathy and denouncing the “act of barbarity”.