UK Police Launch Massive Manhunt For Accomplices Of Manchester Suicide Bomber
by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
May 24, 2017
Update: Having mobilized hundreds of soldiers to protect key landmarks across London, the British police launced a huge manhunt for accomplices who may have helped Salman Abedi build the suicide bomb and “who could be ready to kill again.” Part of yesterday’s hike in the UK risk threat assessment is the fear that Abedi could have been working as part of a group of accomplices with possible links to militant groups who have the competence to plot and execute suicide bombings.
“The question is: Was he acting alone or was he part of a network of others who want to kill. That is what the investigation is focusing on,” a source told Reuters adding that “the concern is that there may be others out there who helped him to make the bomb. Making a bomb of this sort requires a certain level of expertise and competence,” the source said.
At an afternoon press conference, Manchester Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said it is clear “this is a network we are investigating.” He declined to give any further details on the investigation. British police have declined to provide many details about the suspect, but a U.S. official has said he was a British citizen of Libyan descent. British officials believe he had recently returned from Libya. Hopkins also wouldn’t comment on whether police had found anyone who made the explosive device used in the attack.
Moments ago Reuters reported that the younger brothers of the bombing suspect was arrested in Libya on suspicion of ISIS ties:
HASHEM ABEDI, YOUNGER BROTHER OF MANCHESTER ATTACKER, ARRESTED IN TRIPOLI BY COUNTER-TERRORISM FORCE ON SUSPICION OF ISLAMIC STATE LINKS
Meanwhile, in the UK the police arrested at least three more men as part of their investigation into the suicide bombing as authorities said they are pursuing a “network” in connection with the attack. The arrests in Manchester take the total currently in custody to four. Under British law, a person can be taken into custody in a terrorism investigation and held up to 14 days without charges.
As reported earlier (see below), U.K. investigators told French authorities that Abedi had probably also traveled to Syria, according to the French interior minister.
A leading theory is that the attacker may have received specialist training abroad or that there is a technician in the U.K. who constructed the bomb, the Western official said.
“To cause this many fatalities it has to be a viable device of a certain level of sophistication,” the official said, adding that it didn’t seem like something Abedi could have done by himself. Officials were still in the initial phase of the investigation, the person said.
Earlier, Home Secretary Amber Rudd earlier told the British Broadcasting Corp. Abedi that Abedi was previously known to security services “up to a point.” “When this operation is over, we will want to look at his background and what happened, how he became radicalized and what support he might have been given,” she said.
The Rest…HERE