British police arrested another man on Friday in connection with the suicide attack at a pop concert in Manchester city as they hunted for a second device built by the 22-year-old bomber and other members of his wider terror network.
With the new arrest this morning from an inner-city area in Manchester, the number of people arrested reached 10, of which two have been released without charge, police said. "Eight men remain in custody for questioning," they said.
A 16-year-old boy and a 34-year-old woman were the two person released. The other eight men, aged between 18 and 38, were being questioned over their involvement in the attack on Monday that killed 22 people, the police said in a statement. Investigators believe 22-year-old British-born bomber Salman Abedi, from a family of Libyan origin, acted as part of a terrorist network. Some news reports indicated that security forces were on the hunt for a second device made by Abedi, which may now be with a member of this network.
Abedi was known to UK security services, but his risk to the public remained "subject to review", according to reports.
In the Libyan capital Tripoli, Abedi's younger brother 20-year-old Hashem and their father, Ramadan, were being held by special forces linked to the country's interior ministry.
Meanwhile, the manager of a pizza shop raided by police in north England claimed that his friend Aimen Elwafi was one of the eight men in custody as he had inadvertently rented a property to Abedi.
Elwafi is believed to have handed himself in to police after news reports revealed Abedi as the suicide bomber.
"He made the connection straight away. He was shocked and panicked when he saw the news," said Mohammed El-Haduri, the manager of St Helens Pizza. The suicide attack at American pop star Ariana Grande's concert had sent shockwaves across the UK, prompting back-to- back meetings of the emergency response Cobra committee.
After the meeting, Prime Minister Theresa May announced the threat level has been raised to the highest "critical", meaning another attack could be imminent. Army and armed police officers patrolled major sites across the country. Agencies