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:
UK ministers are said to be "furious" at the leak of crime scene photos from Manchester Arena.
The leaked photos, published first by the New York Times, showed a detonator, bag and shrapnel used by bomber Salman Abedi.
A Whitehall source told PA: "We are furious. This is completely unacceptable.
"These images leaked from inside the US system will be distressing for victims, their families and the wider public.
"The issue is being raised at every relevant level by the British authorities with their US counterparts."
Home Secretary Amber Rudd had said she was "irritated" by the previous early leak of the bomber's name in the US media hours before UK authorities were prepared to release it.
The Home Office declined to respond to the new leak, but pointed reporters to Ms Rudd's earlier comments in a clear indication that her stance had not changed.
Police and security services have found further explosives in extensive raids following Monday’s suicide bombing in Manchester, The Independent has learned.
One device was blown up in a controlled explosion and security sources say there is a real possibility that other bombs are yet to be found.
Authorities believe a terrorist network had been established to carry out a sustained assault, and further arrests are likely to follow in and outside Manchester.
A seventh arrest has been made in connection to Monday's suicide bombing, Greater Manchester Police has said.
A man was detained in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, on Wednesday night, as raids continue across the country to uncover a suspected terror network.
Theresa May is expected to raise concerns over suspected US intelligence leaks about the Manchester attack with Donald Trump at a Nato Summit in Brussels on Thursday.
It comes as a Whitehall source said ministers were "furious" after leaked photos, published first by The New York Times, appeared to show the detonator, bag and shrapnel used by bomber Salman Abedi.
The National Police Chiefs' Council has condemned suspected intelligence leaks by US authorities in relation to the Manchester bombing.
“We greatly value the important relationships we have with our trusted intelligence, law enforcement and security partners around the world. These relationships enable us to collaborate and share privileged and sensitive information that allows us to defeat terrorism and protect the public at home and abroad," a spokesperson said.
“When that trust is breached it undermines these relationships, and undermines our investigations and the confidence of victims, witnesses and their families. This damage is even greater when it involves unauthorised disclosure of potential evidence in the middle of a major counter terrorism investigation.”
Here is a round-up of everything we know at the end of Wednesday about Monday night’s terror attack in Manchester:
- Suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated an improvised explosive device in the foyer of Manchester Arena as concert-goers exited an Ariana Grande performance
- The 22 people killed in the attack have been identified by police. 64 were injured, with 20 still in critical care
- Seven arrests have been made in the UK so far, including Abedi’s older brother Ismail, a man in Warwickshire and a woman detained in a raid in Blackley
- The attacker’s father, Ramadan Abedi, was arrested in Tripoli, along with Abedi’s younger brother Hashim, who was accused of planning his own terror plot
- Police and security services found bomb-making materials which could be primed for imminent attacks in extensive raids following the bombing, The Independent has learned
- Authorities believe Abedi was part of a wider Isis terror cell functioning in the UK and investigations are now focused on unveiling the scale of the network
- The UK terror level has been raised to critical for the first time in a decade. The level indicates a terror attack is imminent
- 1,000 armed soldiers have been deployed to key sites across the UK, including Buckingham palace and the British Parliament in Westminster
- The New York Times published crime scene photos of a battery, shrapnel and a detonator thought to have been used by Abedi, just hours after Home Secretary Amber Rudd criticised US authorities for leaking intelligence about the Manchester attack
- It is thought Theresa May will address the leaks with Donald Trump on Thursday at a Nato summit after a Whitehall source said ministers were “furious”
- A minute’s silence will be held at 11am on Thursday in remembrance of those who died and those who were affected by Monday’s attack
- Ariana Grande has suspended her tour until 5 June to pay "proper respects to those lost"
- Campaigning for the general election will resume on Friday after a three-day pause following the suicide bombing
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