Manchester attack possibly linked to Paris and Brussels
LONDON — British investigators are exploring the possibility that the same cell linked to the Paris and Brussels terror attacks was to blame for the bombing that killed 22 people at the Manchester Arena, two officials familiar with the investigation said Wednesday.
Investigators were also assessing whether Salman Abedi, the suspected bomber in the attack Monday on a pop concert in the British city, may have been connected to known militants there. Abedi, a 22-year-old British citizen born to Libyan parents, died in the attack.
Abedi's father, Ramadan Abedi, was allegedly a member of the al-Qaida-backed Libyan Islamic Fighting group in the 1990s, according to a former Libyan security official, Abdel-Basit Haroun. The group was founded in 1995 to overthrow Moammar Gadhafi.
The elder Abedi denied that he was part of the militant group and told The Associated Press that his son was not involved in the concert bombing and had no connection to militants.
Police said Wednesday they hadn't yet found the bomb maker in the Manchester attack, indicating Salman Abedi was part of a larger cell.
An al-Qaida bomb maker who fled to Libya lived on the same street as Abedi and the security services are probing possible links between the two, according to The Telegraph. Abd al-Baset Azzouz was identified as one of the world's most dangerous terrorists by U.S. authorities after setting up a training camp in Libya.
Security sources say police are investigating whether Abedi could have been supplied with a bomb made by Azzouz, or taught to make one by him.
The bomb was so complex it could only have been made by an expert, leaked crime scene pictures suggest. Photographs show a trigger switch with a tiny circuit board soldered into the end, which experts say could point to a remote-control or timer built into the bomb to ensure an accomplice could detonate it if Abedi lost his nerve.
Investigators believe the bomb, packed with bolts and screws, was contained in a lightweight metal case carried in a Karrimor knapsack.
British authorities were also exploring whether the bomber, who grew up in Manchester, had links with other cells across Europe and North Africa, according to two officials familiar with the case who spoke on condition of anonymity.
They said one thread of the investigation involves pursuing whether Abedi could have been part of a larger terror cell that included Mohamed Abrini, otherwise known as “the man in the hat,” with connections to the Brussels and Paris attacks in 2016 and 2015 respectively. Abrini visited Manchester in 2015.
Ramadan Abedi confirmed that another son, Ismail, 23, was arrested Tuesday in Manchester. A third son, 18-year-old Hisham, was arrested in Tripoli late last night, according to Libyan government spokesman Ahmed bin Salem. The elder Abedi was arrested shortly after speaking to the AP, Salem said.
The anti-terror force that took Hisham Abedi into custody said the teenager had confessed that both he and his brother were members of the Islamic State group and that Hisham Abedi had been aware of the details of the Manchester attack.