Manchester suicide bomber not acting alone, say UK police

British police have so far arrested five people in connection with the attack, including the attacker’s 23-year-old brother. His father and another brother have meanwhile been arrested in the Libyan capital, a local counter terrorism force there said on Wednesday.

Police forensic investigators search the Greater Manchester home of suicide bomber Salman Abedi on May 23, 2017. Danny Lawson / PA via AP

MANCHESTER // The suicide bomber who killed 22 people in a Manchester concert hall was not acting alone, UK police said on Wednesday as thousands of soldiers were deployed across Britain after the terrorist alert was raised from severe to critical for the first time in seven years.

The bomber, 22-year-old Salman Abedi, was known to security forces before Monday’s attack at a concert by US pop star Ariana Grande in Manchester Arena.

Ian Hopkins, the chief constable of the local police force, confirmed that extensive searches were ongoing as police hunted for possible accomplices.

“It is very clear that this is a network that we are investigating and as I’ve said it continues at a pace,” Mr Hopkins said. He did not confirm or deny the existence of a “terror cell” or of a “bomb factory” where the explosive device used in Monday’s attack was manufactured.

On Wednesday night, The New York Times published images it said were from the crime scene, including scraps of the bomber's backpack in which it is thought the explosive device may have been carried.

British police have so far arrested five people in connection with the attack, including the bomber’s 23-year-old brother, Ismail. His father, Ramadan Abedi, and younger brother, Hashem, have meanwhile been arrested in the Libyan capital, a local counter terrorism force there said on Wednesday.

Earlier on Wednesday, Ramadan denied that Salman was linked to militants or to the deadly bombing, saying he sounded “normal” when they spoke five days ago.

“We don’t believe in killing innocents. This is not us,” he said. He added that his son was preparing to visit Saudi Arabia very soon, and had made a recent trip to Libya.

The fifth person to be arrested in Britain was carrying a package, which Greater Manchester police said they were “assessing”.

In deploying British troops, prime minister Theresa May said she did not wish to “unduly alarm” citizens but that investigations “revealed it is a possibility we cannot ignore that there is a wider group of individuals linked to this incident”.

Amber Rudd, Mrs May’s home secretary, confirmed to Sky News that major upcoming events – including a football match between England and Scotland – will proceed as planned, but amid tighter security.

“What we are being told [by intelligence agencies] is that it’s an ongoing investigation, an active operation,” Ms Rudd said. “Until we can be reassured there is no continued activity ... that it is entirely safe … then it is right that we are at this heightened state of alert.”

Roughly 3,800 soldiers joined policemen on the streets of major cities, and extra security was posted outside sensitive locations, including airports and railway stations, Buckingham Palace, and 10 Downing Street, the prime minister’s residence.

Special forces soldiers were also sent to assist Manchester police with their ongoing investigation into a possible network that supported the suicide bomber on Monday.

Twelve of the 22 victims had been identified by Wednesday, including a Polish couple living in Britain, who had been waiting for their children in the foyer of the Manchester Arena, near where the bomb is thought to have exploded. A serving police officer was also confirmed dead.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, called Mrs May on Wednesday to express his deepest condolences and sympathies for the victims, state news agency Wam reported.

Sheikh Mohammed also reaffirmed that the UAE stood in solidarity with the UK, and that it took a firm stand in confronting terrorism, violence and extremism in all its forms and manifestations.

On Tuesday, thousands turned out for a vigil for the victims in Manchester’s Albert Square, bringing with them candles and flowers.

Ms Rudd attended the vigil, along with Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the main opposition Labour Party, and Tim Farron, the leader of the Liberal Democrats. A local poet recited a poem he had written two years ago to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Manchester Arena.

As the ceremony began, large loudspeakers played Nimrod, the short classical piece from Edward Elgar's Enigma Variations, commonly associated with funerals and memorial services.

The crowd alternated between moments of complete silence and waves of applause. Someone started a chant – “Man! Chest! Ter!” – while a group of young boys held up a large England flag bearing the words “NO SURRENDER”.

The vigil’s official ceremonies were over by 6.40pm, but crowds continued to mill around Albert Square well into the night.

“It just seems like this is the place to be, to feel connected to the city again,” said Anna Saunders, a local sixth form student. “I mean, it’s sad that we have to be here. But it’s comforting to see all these people who have come out to show that the city can’t be terrorised.”

Two Muslim groups and a Sikh group made their presence felt as well. “Everything is free! Come on, Manchester!” a Sikh man shouted as he handed out snacks and drinks to passers-by.

Members of Al Islam, an organisation of Ahmadiyya Muslims, which has its British headquarters in London and a branch in Manchester, held up a banner reading: “Love For All, Hatred for None.” Across the square, a group from Nottingham called Muslim Hands stood in silence, holding up placards that read: “Stronger Together.”

On Wednesday, a Muslim man comforted an elderly Jewish woman, who was visibly upset, at the site of a floral tribute in Albert Square, and the pair prayed together.

The man, named Sadi Patel, then helped the woman, named Renee Rachel Wood, away, linking arms with her and carrying her chair in his other hand.

Such scenes contrasted sharply with ones from earlier on Tuesday, when the far-right English Defence League (EDL) held a protest outside the city’s Arndale shopping centre to “stand up to Islamism”. The EDL said: “We are asking for your courage, the courage to say and do what must be done to prevent future Islamic atrocities and intimidation across the UK”.

But other Mancunians stood up to the EDL protesters.

“The people of Manchester don’t stand with your xenophobia and racism,” a man was seen shouting at the EDL in video footage.

“The people of Manchester are going to stick together, no matter what religion you follow, no matter what the colour of the skin is. We’re not going to stand with people like you.”

* With additional reporting by Associated Press and Reuters