British police said they arrested two more people during raids Saturday in connection with the suicide bombing at a Manchester concert, with a “large part” of the network behind the attack now being held.
The two men, aged 20 and 22, were arrested in north Manchester early Saturday after police gained entry to an address using a controlled explosion.
The arrests bring to 11 the number of suspects held in Britain over Monday’s blast at a concert by US pop idol Ariana Grande, in which 22 people died and 116 were injured, and for which the ISIL Takfiri group has claimed responsibility.
Police in Libya have detained the father and brother of 22-year-old bomber Salman Abedi.
Mark Rowley, head of Britain’s counter-terrorism police, said on Friday that police had captured “a large part of the network” linked to the atrocity in which seven children aged under 18 were among the 22 dead.
“We are very happy we’ve got our hands around some of the key players that we are concerned about but there’s still a little bit more to do,” he said.
Britain’s terror threat assessment has been raised to “critical”, the highest level, meaning an attack is considered imminent.
Armed police will be on patrol over the holiday weekend, with security increased at football’s showpiece FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium in London on Saturday.
“Anyone coming to the FA Cup Final or the other play-off matches over the weekend will see an increase in police numbers in and around the stadium,” said Jon Williams from the Metropolitan Police.
Source: AFP
