Manchester bombing live updates: Police are investigating 'terror network' behind suicide attack
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Your support makes all the difference.The UK terror threat has been raised to critical in the wake of the Manchester suicide bombing attack amid fears attacker Salman Abedi did not act alone.
Monday night's attack at an Ariana Grande concert left 22 people dead and injured 64. Some 20 people are being treated for "horrific injuries" in critical care and 12 of those rushed to hospital were children.
Thousands of soldiers are set to bolster police forces after Theresa May raised the threat level to the highest possible rating, meaning another atrocity is expected imminently.
Five more suspects have been arrested in relation to the attack by Greater Manchester Police in new counter-terror raids.
- Three more suspects arrested in Manchester police raids
- These are the names of the victims
- First picture of attacker Salman Abedi released
- Bomber 'travelled to Syria' and Libya before attack
- Attacker's father says his son is innocent
- More than £25,000 raised for homeless man who rushed to help
- Mancunians shut down EDL rally after terror attack
- Home Secretary condemns US for leaks of shared British intelligence
Theresa May said a "wider group of individuals" could have been involved in the Manchester Arena blast rather than just suicide bomber Abedi.
In a sign of the increased threat, the military could be deployed to support armed police officers, Ms May added during a live televised statement from Downing Street.
Monday night's attack at a concert by US pop star Ariana Grande left 22 people dead, including an eight-year-old girl, and dozens injured.
Isis has claimed responsibility for the barbaric attack, which involved a home-made device packed with nuts and bolts which exploded in the venue's foyer as thousands of young people were leaving.
Abedi, believed to have been born in Manchester and of Libyan descent, has been named as the suicide bomber.
The 22-year-old studied business at Salford University but dropped out before completing his degree.
He is thought to have attended the Manchester Islamic Centre, also known as Didsbury Mosque, along with his parents and siblings.
Elsewhere in the city, the first arrest was made in connection with the inquiry when a 23-year-old man was detained near a Morrisons in Chorlton.
The terror threat level was increased after investigations revealed he may not have acted alone.
Ms May said Operation Temperer - allowing military personnel to take to the streets - is now in force.
Counter-terrorism agencies have mounted a massive inquiry into the outrage - the worst terrorist attack since 52 innocent people were killed in the July 7 bombings in London in 2005:
A fifth man has been arrested in connection with Monday night's terror attack, Greater Manchester Police has confirmed.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said authorities would leave “no stone unturned” to find out who was responsible for Monday’s attack.
“We don't yet know whether [Abedi] was acting alone, whether there were accomplices, whether others had access to the explosives he devised,” he told Sky News.
Speaking about the deployment of soldiers to Britain’s streets, he said: “Until we are sure he was part of a bigger network, until we have more information, we have to take these precautions.
“I hope the public will be reassured the troops are there on a well rehearsed deportation, they are there in support of the police and they will always be under direction of the police.”
The father of the Manchester bomber has been arrested by security forces in Libya, ITV reports.
Ramadan Abedi, Salman Abedi's father, told AP on Wednesday: "We don't believe in killing innocents. This is not us."
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has paid tribute to NHS staff who demonstrated the “finest of humanity in the darkest of times” in the face of Manchester’s terror attack.
“We’ve seen paramedics braving really dangerous situations, going into extreme carnage to rescue people,” he told Sky News.
“We’ve seen off-duty staff come back to work in the night in their hundreds, showing there's no such thing as just a job in the NHS.
“We want the country to know that work will continue with bereaved families, with those whose lives have been shattered and changed with recent events.”
A package that was being carried by the fifth man arrested in connection to Manchester's terrorist bombing is being investigated, Greater Manchester Police has said.
The man was arrested in Wigan on Wednesday and the package he was carrying is now being assessed.
Here is an update on what we know so far about Monday’s terror attack in Manchester:
Five people have been arrested in relation to Monday's Manchester Arena terror attack, Greater Manchester Police has confirmed. A package being carried by the fifth man, who was arrested in Wigan, is being assessed.
Police are investigating a network connected to the bomber and investigations and raids are continuing across the Greater Manchester area.
Manchester-born suicide bomber Salman Abedi was reportedly known "up to a point" by police and intelligence services prior to Monday's attack, Home Secretary Amber Rudd has said.
Abedi’s younger brother Hashem Abedi was arrested on Wednesday in Tripoli, Libya, for planning a terrorist attack in the city.
Their father, Ramadan Abedi, has also been arrested in Libya.
Police have identified the 22 killed, including a serving police officer and an eight-year-old girl named as Saffie Rose Roussos. A further 59 people had been injured, many of whom have critical injuries.
The UK terror level has been raised to critical for the first time in a decade. The level indicates a terror attack is imminent.
Armed soldiers have been deployed to key sites across the UK, including Buckingham palace and the British Parliament in Westminster.
The brother of Manchester bomber Salman Abedi "was aware of all the details" of his plans, according to Libyan security sources.
Salman Abedi may have carried the explosive used in the Manchester terror attack in a lightweight metal container concealed within either a black vest or a blue Karrimor backpack, and held a detonator in his left hand, according to reports published by the New York Times.
The paper attributes the intelligence to "preliminary information gathered by British authorities", however it was unclear whether this information had been leaked to US authorities.
It comes as Home Secretary Amber Rudd warned US authorities not to leak details about terror attacks such as the Manchester bombing before their UK counterparts.
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