Manchester attack: Police suspect bomber 'did not act alone'

Salman Abedi Credit: GMP

Police investigating the Manchester Arena bombing have revealed that they suspect the suicide bomber responsible for the attack 'did not work alone'.

The development comes more than a month after bomber Salman Abedi detonated a bomb in the foyer of Manchester Arena killing 22 people at the end of an Ariane Grande concert on May 22.

Anti-terror officers also confirmed on Thursday they want to speak to Salman Abedi's brother Hashem in Libya as part of the "ongoing" process of the investigation.

Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson, head of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit (NWCTU) told reporters: "We don't have evidence of a large network. We do however suspect others were either aware or complicit in the knowledge of this attack."

Officers are said to now be "engaged" with authorities in Libya where Salman's brother, Hashem, is being held.

The possibility of further arrests has also not been ruled out.

DCS Jackson said: "We do believe that there are other people potentially involved in this. We do however believe further arrests are possible.

"We want to to speak to Hashem Abedi and I can now say we are currently engaging with the Crown Prosecution Service and the Libyan authorities.

"This is a live criminal investigation where central to it are 22 murdered people, with grieving families."

Hashem Abedi is currently being held in Libya Credit: Libyan security forces

Further details about Salman Abedi's movements on the day of the Manchester attack were also disclosed by police on Thursday, including the fact that he had spent "several hours" in Manchester city centre with his rucksack bomb before heading to the arena.

DCS Jackson said the police investigation into what happened on May 22 had made clear Abedi's movements, the make-up of the bomb and where parts were obtained.

The exact type of explosive used was not revealed but police did confrim forensic evidence had been found at several locations around Manchester.