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Man arrested in connection with Manchester Arena bombing

20 people have been arrested in connection with the investigation but 12 have been released without charge

Caroline Mortimer
Wednesday 07 June 2017 19:20 BST
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Messages and floral tributes left in Albert Square in Manchester, in solidarity with those killed and injured in the terror attack at the Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena
Messages and floral tributes left in Albert Square in Manchester, in solidarity with those killed and injured in the terror attack at the Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena (Getty)

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A 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the Manchester Arena bombing.

He was arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences after Greater Manchester Police raided an address in Harpurhey.

As it stands 20 people have now been arrested in connection with the investigation, of which 12 people have been released without charge.

Eight people remain in custody.

Twenty-two people, including seven children, were killed and more than 100 were injured when Salman Abedi detonated a shrapnel-laden bomb in the foyer of Manchester arena while fans of the US singer Ariana Grande were leaving her concert on 22 May.

Grande is especially popular with teenage girls and many were heading to foyer to be picked up by their parents when Abedi struck.

The arrest comes after the earlier detention of a man at Heathrow Airport in connection with the attack.

The 38-year-old was held on suspicion of terrorism offences as part of a planned operation and there was no direct threat to the airport, GMP said.

Armed police officers stand near the Manchester Arena, where US singer Ariana Grande had been performing when the attack took place
Armed police officers stand near the Manchester Arena, where US singer Ariana Grande had been performing when the attack took place (Andrew Yates/Reuters)

The inquests into the deaths of the victims are due to begin on Friday at 10.30am.

They are likely to be immediately adjourned pending the completion of the police investigation.

Abedi's inquest is likely to be held at a later date.

On Tuesday, police said he may have stored items used to assemble his improvised explosive device in a Nissan Micra.

GMP said "significant evidence" was found in the white car, which has an "R" registration plate and was seized from Devell House in Rusholme on Friday.

The force issued photos of the car and a red and black holdall and appealed for anyone who recognised either to come forward.

Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson said police were continuing to track the movements Abedi made in the days leading up to the May 22 attack.

He said: "Our investigation has also revealed that Abedi made repeated trips to and from this car between May 18 and 22 and we believe he was taking items from the car to help assemble the device.

"The car was sold by a previous keeper on April 13 2017.

"Abedi left the country on April 15 and it is vital that we understand what happened to this car during these few days between April 13 and 15."

On Tuesday, a police officer outside the flat of Abedi's brother Ismail in nearby Whalley Range told reporters that the property was still "an active crime scene".

Ariana Grande performing at the One Love Manchester concert for the victims of the attack
Ariana Grande performing at the One Love Manchester concert for the victims of the attack

The same day an 18-year-old man - understood to be Abedi's cousin - and two other men were freed.

Ismail, 23, was released on Monday, while his other cousins, Isaac Forjani, 24, and Abz Forjani, 21, both from Fallowfield, were among those released last week.

The attacker's father, Ramadan Abedi, was arrested in Tripoli on May 24, along with Salman's younger brother Hashim, 20, who Libyan security forces said were "aware of all the details" of the attack.

Additional reporting by PA

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