Police suspect Manchester suicide bomber Salman Abedi 'did not act alone'

Suicide bomber: Salman Abedi
Tom Powell6 July 2017

The suicide bomber who killed 22 people at a concert in Manchester did not act alone, police believe.

Detectives want to speak to Salman Abedi’s brother in Libya amid suspicions that others may also have been involved in the attack on May 22.

Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson, head of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit (NWCTU), said officers were "engaged" with the authorities in war-torn Libya where Hashem Abedi is currently being held.

He said: "We don't have evidence of a large network. We do however suspect others were either aware or complicit in the knowledge of this attack."

Manchester Arena Terror Attack: Victims

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Abedi detonated his bomb in the foyer of Manchester Arena at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on May 22.

Mr Jackson said he had to be careful not to damage any potential future prosecution as he briefed reporters at the headquarters of Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

He continued: "We do believe that there are other people potentially involved in this. We do however believe further arrests are possible.

"We want to speak to Hashem Abedi and I can now say we are currently engaging with the Crown Prosecution Service and the Libyan authorities.

"This is a live criminal investigation where central to it are 22 murdered people, with grieving families."

Police appealed for help to find a distinctive blue suitcase Abedi was seen carrying in the Rusholme area of Manchester
PA

Mr Jackson said attempts to speak to Hashem Abedi were part of an "ongoing" process but he refused to elaborate or say whether British police had travelled to Libya.

However, he did give some detail about what detectives had discovered so far.

Abedi had spent "several hours" in Manchester city centre with his rucksack bomb before heading for Manchester Arena, detonating the device as the concert ended and young fans streamed out.

Mr Jackson said police were now clear on Abedi's movements in the run-up to the attack, they knew the make-up of the bomb and where parts were obtained.

He would not confirm the exact type of explosive used but said forensic evidence had been found at several locations around Manchester.

The bomber's younger brother, Hashem, was arrested in Libya shortly after the explosion, along with their father, Ramadan.

The family are originally from Libya, but fled during Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's dictatorship, with the father returning to fight with opposition forces when the uprising began in 2011.

Abedi's older brother, Ismail, was among more than a dozen people held and questioned by police in the UK before being released without charge.

Mr Jackson said Salman Abedi travelled to Libya a number of times and they were investigating how he obtained the skills to make a bomb.

Calls Abedi made, reportedly to his mother and others, on the night of the attack were another "key line of inquiry", Mr Jackson said, but would not be drawn further.

Additional reporting by Press Association.

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