Manchester attack: Police make 'rapid progress' as terror status downgraded and new bomber images released

Police release images after it is announced that terror threat level has been lowered from 'critical' to 'severe'

CCTV image of Manchester bomber Salman Abedi (PA/GMP)

New pictures have been released showing Manchester bomber Salman Abedi on the day he carried out his deadly attack.

The images, captured on CCTV at an undisclosed location and released by Greater Manchester Police, show the 22-year-old wearing a black Hollister puffer jacket, a grey baseball cap, glasses, blue jeans and trainers in the hours before he blew himself up at Manchester Arena. He appears to be wearing a backpack with black straps.

It came as the UK’s terror threat level was downgraded from “critical” to “severe” amid a massive ongoing police operation to detain those responsible for the Manchester bombing and keep people safe at more than 1,300 public events over the Bank Holiday weekend.

Speaking after a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee on Saturday, Theresa May said the decision had been taken after “a significant amount of police activity” in the last 24 hours.

“The public should be clear about what this means – a threat level of severe means an attack is highly likely”, she said. “The country should remain vigilant.”

Soldiers will be withdrawn from the streets from Monday onwards, having been drafted in to help police guard key landmarks.

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) had increased the threat level to “critical” – its highest level – on Wednesday as security services feared that members of the terrorist cell that included Abedi were still the loose.

With eleven people now in custody, officials decided the threat was no longer “critical”, which suggests an attack is imminent. Instead, they lowered the level to ‘severe’ – meaning a terrorist incident is highly likely.

The downgrade came after police carried out new raids across Manchester. A property in Cheetham Hill, north of the city centre, was raided in the early hours of Saturday and a 20-year-old and 22-year-old arrested on suspicion of terror offences.

Two of the 13 people detained have since been released without charge. Eleven men remain in custody, with senior counter-terrorism officers saying they believe they have “got hold of a large part of the network”.

Searches were ongoing at a separate property in Cheetham Hill and one in the Longsight area of south Manchester.

Another property, in the Moss Side suburb, was cordoned off and the surrounding streets evacuated as bomb disposal experts carried out a search of the building.

Ian Hopkins, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, said police had made “significant progress” in what he called their “fast moving and complex investigation”.

“The level of resources we have available to us remains the same as we continue to take positive action”, he added.

Detectives believe they now have a “greater understanding” of how Abedi constructed the device that killed 22 and injured 64 when it was detonated at a Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena on Monday night.

A policeman stands outside a house in Brideoak Street in Cheetham Hill, Manchester, which was raided following the terror attack in the city earlier this week (PA)

Mark Rowley, the UK’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, said: “The high pace and rapid progress of this investigation is continuing. There are 17 searches either concluded or continuing at various addresses, largely in the north-west of the country.

“We are getting a greater understanding of the preparation of the bomb.

“There is still much more to do - there will be more arrests, there will be more searches.

“But the greater clarity and progress has led JTAC, the independent body which assesses threat, to the judgement that an attack is no longer imminent.”

Ms Grande has promised to return to Manchester to perform a benefit concert to raise money for the victims’ families.

In a statement, the American singer said: “I don’t want to go the rest of the year without being able to see and hold and uplift my fans, the same way they continue to uplift me.

“Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before.

“I’ll be returning to Manchester to spend time with my fans and to have a benefit concert in honour of and to raise money for the victims and their families.”

Events continued to be held to remember those who lost their lives in the attack. At Wembley, fans held a minute’s silence prior to the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Arsenal, while in Manchester the family of 18-year-old Georgina Callander, who was the first victim to be named, released balloons in her memory.

As the Bank Holiday got underway, police mounted a huge operation to ensure the safety of people attending 1,300 public events.

Some 50,000 music fans were expected to attend a concert at the Old Trafford cricket ground headlined by The Charlatans and The Courteeners – the first major event to take place in Manchester since the bombing.

Hundreds of police officers were drafted in to help guard the venue, while airport-style security was introduced to screen visitors and check bags.