Police hunt terrorist cell behind Manchester attack
●Arrests made and security stepped up with troops deployed across UK
The father and brother of the Manchester suicide bomber were arrested in Libya last night as police in the UK said the attack which killed 22 people was the work of a terrorist cell.
Salman Abedi carried out the deadliest attack on British soil since the 7 July, 2005 London bombings when he targeted fans leaving a concert by US singer Ariane Grande with a device concealed in a backpack.
As Greater Manchester Police (GMP) made a series of arrests in the UK, reports from Libya said the bomber’s father, Ramadan, and younger brother, Hashem, had been held by local militia in Tripoli.
Hashem, 20, was reportedly arrested on suspicion of links with Islamic State and was said to be preparing an attack in the Libyan capital.
Police in Manchester had earlier described their investigations as “intense” and moving “at pace”, saying the bombing was the work of “a network”, rather than just one man.
The prospect of imminent further attacks led the UK’S terrorist threat
level to be raised to “critical”, its highest level, and saw troops deployed on Downing Street, at Westminster and at other key sites in London.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said military personnel had been deployed at 12 Ministry of Defence and civil nuclear sites across Scotland, but would not be asked to patrol the streets.
Security is being stepped up at concert venues across the country in the wake of the attack. The Scottish Event Campus (SEC), which incorporates the Hydro, Armadillo and SEC Centre in Glasgow, said there would be body searches, extra ticket checks and restrictions on bags.
Ms Sturgeon said Police Scotland was reviewing security for a number of upcoming events, including the visit of former president Barack Obama to Edinburgh tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Ariane Grande has suspended her tour until 7 June to pay “proper respects to those lost”.
As more details emerged of those killed in Monday night’s attack, police said a serving off-duty female officer was among the dead.
The search goes on for Barra schoolgirl Eilidh Macleod, 14, who remains missing following the attack. Her friend Laura Macintyre, 15, is said to be in a serious condition in a Manchester hospital.
GMP Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: “I would like to confirm that we are confident that we have now spoken to all the immediate families of those who sadly died in Monday’s attack and they are all now being supported by specially trained officers. Due to the number of victims, forensic post-mortems are likely to take between four and five days. After this we will be in a position to formally name the victims, with guidance from the coroner.”
Asked if officers are looking for the person who made the bomb, he said: “I think it’s very clear that this is a network that we are investigating and as I’ve said, it continues at pace, this extensive investigation is going on and activity taking place across Greater Manchester as we speak.”
Detectives yesterday made a series of arrests, taking the number of people in custody in the UK to six.
There were also reports that members of the public reported Abedi to an anti-terrorism hotline several years ago.
Last night photos emerged apparently showing parts of the bomb used in the attack, thought to have been concealed in a backpack.
The shredded remains of the light blue Karrimor bag apparently carried by Abedi can be seen in a series of “law enforcement images” leaked to US media. A blood-smeared silver detonator with wires trailing from one end is also seen lying on the floor.
More details have also emerged about the Abedi family, with reports the bomber’s father was a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, a militant organisation formed in the mid-1990s to overthrow Muammar algaddafi and which had links to al-qaeda.
Ramadan Abedi had earlier told reporters his family “aren’t the ones who blow up ourselves among innocents”.
But France’s interior minister Gerard Collomb told French TV that both British and French intelligence services had information that Salman Abedi had been in Syria.
Earlier, Home Secretary Amberruddconfirmedabedi recently returned from a visit to Libya, and said the nature of the attack suggested he had support. “It was more sophisticated than some of the horrific events that we have seen in the past or in other parts of Europe so people are reasonably wondering whether he did this on his own,” she said.
Amid heightened levels of security at Holyrood, Ms Sturgeon appealed for calm and said there was no specific threat to Scotland.
The First Minister said: “This is clearly a very anxious time but there is no need to be alarmed. Many of the steps that are being taken now are precautionary and I repeat there is no intelligence of a specific threat to Scotland.
“However, I do ask the public to be vigilant and to report any concerns or suspicions that they may have to the police.”
Police Scotland Chief Constable Phil Gormley said: “Following the announcement by the Prime Minister of the UK of the terror threat level being increased from severe to critical and the implementation of Operation Temperer, Police Scotland is reviewing current deployments across Scotland, including of armed response vehicles and specialist firearms officers.
“Chief constables across the UK have the ability to request support from the armed forces, if required. This option is open to Police Scotland and the situation is being reviewed, however, the service currently has sufficient resources deployed and available at present.”
Photos published of ‘bomb’ despite Rudd’s warning over leaks appearing in US media
Andrew Woodcock
Photographs apparently showing bloodstained fragments from the Manchester concert bomb have been published in an American newspaper, just hours after the UK government issued a warning to US authorities not to leak details of the terrorist investigation.
The publication is certain to infuriate Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who said yesterday she was “irritated” by the early release of the bomber’s name by US authorities and had made “very clear” to American counterparts that no further leaks should happen.
The Home Office declined to comment on the new leak, but pointed reporters to Ms Rudd’s earlier comments.
There was no immediate response from Downing Street, but it is possible Prime Minister Theresa May could raise the issue with president Donald Trump at the Nato summit in Brussels today.
Police and security agencies investigating the murder of 22 people by Salman Abedi on Monday night regard it as crucial to the success of their operation to be able to control the release of information.
Abedi’s name was circulating in the US media on Tuesday hours before it was confirmed by UK police, who had earlier urged reporters not to publish speculation about the bomber’s identity.
The pictures in the New York Times (NYT) show torn scraps from a blue Karrimor rucksack, as well as screws and nuts used as shrapnel and a metal item which the paper suggests could have been part of the detonator.
The NYT described them as “law enforcement images” but did not make clear how they had been obtained.
The nature of the photographs – one of which includes a ruler placed alongside the detonator – allowed no doubt that they were taken as part of the forensic investigation.
The paper also published a map showing the location of the victims of the bombing, positioned around the presumed site of the explosion in the arena foyer, as well as what is thought to be Abedi’s torso.