Manchester bomber was local man of Libyan descent
THE MAN who police say blew himself up in a packed concert arena in Manchester, killing 22 people, did not make a strong impression on his neighbours.
Residents of the Manchester suburb of modest, brick semi-detached homes where 22-year-old Salman Abedi lived remembered seeing the tall, thin young man who often wore traditional Islamic dress. But few said they knew him well.
Greater Manchester Police yesterday named Abedi as the suicide bomber who struck an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena, wounding 59 people in addition to those he killed. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility, although a top US security official said the claim could not be verified.
Abedi was a British citizen of Libyan descent, said a European security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak about ongoing investigations. At least 20 heavily armed, helmeted police surrounded a house listed as Abedi’s address in the Fallowfield area of south Manchester and blasted down the door at lunchtime on Tuesday. Police said officers carried out a controlled explosion to enter the property.
In the south Manchester suburb of Chorlton yesterday, police arrested a 23-year-old man in a supermarket then searched an apartment in a nearby area. British media reported that the apartment belonged to Abedi’s brother, Ismail.
Neighbour Akram Ramadan said the raided apartment was home to a newly-wed couple. He said the man was in his 20s, named Ismail and of Libyan descent.
There was no information released on the man who was arrested.