So far, a total of 10 people are in detention in Britain and Libya over Monday’s suicide bombing on a pop concert in the northwestern English city of
So far, a total of 10 people are in detention in Britain and Libya over Monday’s suicide bombing on a pop concert in the northwestern English city of Manchester by a British-born man of Libyan origin. A teenage boy and a woman arrested by British police this week have since been released without charge, leaving eight in custody on UK soil who were arrested on suspicion of offences contrary to the terrorism act.
Libya’s Deterrence Force, which acts as the police of the Tripoli-based Government of National Accord, arrests Abedi’s father Ramadan, saying it had already arrested his brother Hashem on Tuesday. A spokesman said the brother was aware of Abedi’s attack plan and both belonged to the Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for the attack. Abedi’s father reportedly protested his son’s innocence in the hours before his arrest.
But police are still trying to pin down his movements as well as determine whether he was part of a wider network that caused the attack which killed 22 people, including several children.
Here are the details of the arrests so far:
Masked police arrested a 24-year-old man in the Chorlton area of south Manchester near where Abedi is believed to have lived. Police had earlier given the man’s age as 23. British media indicated that this man is highly likely to be Abedi’s older brother Ismael. The brother was described in media reports as “outgoing” compared to Salman, who was very quiet.
On Wednesday, May 24, police arrested three more men in south Manchester aged 18, 21 and 24, a short walk from the house where Abedi lived. One of them is named Adel who is 21. An 18-year-old man, who police said was carrying a suspect package, was also arrested in Wigan, a town near Manchester. Another man, 22, was arrested in the town of Nuneaton in central England, widening the British police probe beyond areas in and around Manchester.
In Manchester, a 34-year-old woman was arrested in an apartment block in Blackley, an area north of the city centre by armed police. She was later released without charge.
On Thursday, May 25, a 16-year-old boy was arrested in Withington, a suburb of south Manchester. The boy was later released without charge. A 38-year-old man was also arrested in Blackley.
On Friday, May 26, a 30-year-old man was arrested in Moss Side, an area of Manchester which has been associated with social deprivation and gangs.
In addition to those killed, 116 people received medical treatment at local hospitals for wounds from the blast. The National Health Service said 75 people were hospitalised.
AFP
