‘Ariana’ bomber a lone-ish wolf

Manchester suicide bomber Salman Abedi largely acted on his own, but officials have not ruled out the possibility that he belonged to a terrorist network, according to British authorities.

Evidence has revealed that Abedi, 22, likely purchased most of the key components to make the bomb himself, and most of his actions leading up to the May 22 attack at the Manchester Arena were carried out alone.

“Our inquiries show Abedi himself made most of the purchases of the core components, and what is becoming apparent is that many of his movements and actions have been carried out alone during the four days from him landing in the country and committing this awful attack,” said Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson, head of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit.

Abedi, a British-born son of Libyan refugees, killed 22 innocent people, including an 8-year-old girl, when he detonated the explosive at the close of an Ariana Grande concert as thousands were exiting the 21,000-seat arena.

More than 100 other concertgoers were wounded, and authorities have arrested 16 people since the bombing.

Meanwhile, Manchester funeral directors and one of the city’s largest mosques have refused to accept Abedi’s remains, according to British media.

The Manchester Central Mosque said its executive committee has agreed to not handle the body of Abedi if his family makes a request, a spokesman for the mosque said.