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Photo from the night of the attack. Peter Byrne
Manchester Arena

British police arrest six men and one woman over Manchester bombing

There are reports that the younger brother and father of the bomber have been arrested in Libya.

Updated at 11pm

POLICE IN THE UK have arrested six men and one woman in connection with the Manchester bombing that killed 22 people and injured dozens more.

The latest man was arrested after searches at an address in Nuneaton, Warwickshire.

This morning, the Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said that four men were arrested after warrants were issued in connection with the investigation.

Police arrested a woman after a raid on a block of flats in Blackley, Manchester.

They’ve also arrested a sixth in Wigan.

“We have made an arrest in Wigan this afternoon in connection with the investigation into the horrific incident at Manchester Arena,” police said in a statement.

When arrested, the man was carrying a package which we are currently assessing.

Police say that those arrested remain in custody for questioning.

Reuters are also reporting that the younger brother and father of the bomber Salman Abedi have been arrested in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.

A local counter-terrorism force told Reuters that both men were detained yesterday evening, but this hasn’t yet been confirmed.

Security

The attacker was named yesterday as Salman Abedi, a British man of Libyan heritage who died in the explosion.

British interior minister Amber Rudd said today that it was likely that Abedi was not acting alone.

“It was a devastating occasion, it was more sophisticated than some of the attacks we’ve seen before, and it seems likely – possible – that he wasn’t doing this on his own,” she told BBC radio.

Rudd confirmed that Abedi had been on the radar for security services before the attack.

We do know that he was known up to a point to the intelligence services,” she told Sky News.

Clarifying this on the BBC she said: “The security services will know a lot of people. It doesn’t mean that they’re expected to arrest everybody they know.

But it is somebody that they had known.

She said she had “complete confidence” in the security services.

Last night UK prime minister Theresa May raised the terror threat in Britain to ‘Critical’, the highest it has been for a decade, indicating a terror attack is expected imminently.

In practice, this will see armed military forces at important sites and key locations, as well as at events such as concerts and sports matches.

With reporting from AFP

Read: A further seven victims of Monday’s attack in Manchester have now been named

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