Cop’s words of comfort after bomb outrage

POLICE chiefs yesterday told people to relax and enjoy the Bank Holiday after smashing the Manchester suicide bomber’s terror cell.

Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, the national lead for counter terrorism, said officers had made “enormous progress” probing the network behind Salman Abedi’s attack.

Police were confident they had thwarted any possible follow-up attack after Monday’s terror attack at the Manchester Arena, even though a major international probe was on-going to discover how Abedi was able to blow himself up at the end of the Ariana Grande concert.

In a direct plea to Brits, Mr Rowley, right, said: “Go out as you planned and enjoy yourselves and be reassured by the greater policing presence you will see.”

He added: “We have got hold of a large part of the network including some very significant arrests and some significant finds.”

Last night a man aged 44 from Rusholme was arrested. Eight others aged 18 to 38 remain in custody held on suspicion of breaching terrorism laws.

One is Abedi’s IT worker brother Ismail, 23.

Hinted

Police have searched 12 properties across the UK, seized bomb-making equipment and a vast number of phones and digital devices and obtained CCTV footage of the killer.

They have traced Abedi’s movements across Britain and Europe to his family’s homeland in Libya.

Mr Rowley hinted the national “critical” terror threat level may now be downgraded.

Police have examined 1,300 events taking place nationwide over the weekend and he urged people to attend with “100% confidence”.

The number of armed police on patrol will be increased by 50%.

And trippers should be reassured by seeing them patrolling beaches in Blackpool, Scarborough and Southend.

Extra officers will be seen at events such as the FA Cup Final at Wembley and Aviva Premiership Final at Twickenham.

Mr Rowley said: “There will be extra officers on duty, including hundreds of armed officers.”

British-born Abedi, 22, exploded a rucksack packed with nuts and bolts to cause maximum carnage as concert-goers filed out of Ariana’s gig. Yesterday police carried out three more armed raids, taking the total since the attack to 14.

The new targets were a pizza parlour in St Helens, Merseyside, and a barber’s shop in Moss Side, Manchester, run by Abedi’s cousin Abdallah Forjani, 24.

Earlier, families had been evacuated in Wigan as police used a bomb disposal robot to examine a house,

Abedi’s younger brother Hashem, 20, and their dad Ramadan are being held by special forces in Libya.

And last night MI6 officers were on the ground in the Libyan capital Tripoli probing the family’s activities.