Manchester attack: Bomber not acting alone

The man who carried out a suicide attack in Manchester was “likely” to have not acted alone, UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd says.

Salman Abedi killed 22 and injured 64 when he blew himself up at the Manchester Arena on Monday night.

Police arrested three men in Manchester on Wednesday. Abedi’s 23-year-old brother was arrested on Tuesday.

The UK terror threat level is now up to its highest level of “critical”, meaning more attacks may be imminent.

It means military personnel are being deployed to protect key sites.

The Palace of Westminster has been closed to the public following police advice, and will not re-open until further notice, a statement on its website said.

And the Changing the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace has been cancelled on Wednesday to redeploy police officers, the Ministry of Defence said.

Mrs Rudd said: “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.”

BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner said that the bomber is thought to have been a “mule”, using a device built by someone else.

Who are the victims?

Eight of the victims are known to be eight-year-old Saffie Roussos, Lisa Lees, Jane Tweddle-Taylor, 50, Martyn Hett, 29, Olivia Campbell, 15, Kelly Brewster, 32, John Atkinson, 28, and Georgina Callander – thought to be 18.

Two Polish people, Marcin and Angelika Klis, were also among those killed killed. They had been living in York for some time.

The injured are being treated at eight Greater Manchester hospitals. Of those, 20 are in a critical condition, and some have lost limbs.

The wounded include 12 children aged under 16.

Several people are still missing, including Eilidh MacLeod, 14, from Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Chloe Rutherford, 17, and Liam Curry, 19.

Eilidh’s friend, Laura MacIntyre, 15 – who was also reported as missing – was later identified as one of the seriously injured in a Manchester hospital.

Manchester metro mayor Andy Burnham told the BBC that the attack had been the city’s “darkest hour”.

A hotline has been set up for people concerned about loved ones – 0800 096 0095.

What does a ‘critical’ threat level mean?

Prime Minister Theresa May said soldiers would be placed in key public locations to support armed police in protecting the public. These include Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, embassies and the Palace of Westminster.

Military personnel may also be seen at other events over the coming weeks, such as concerts, Mrs May said, working under the command of police officers.

The prime minister said she did not want the public to feel “unduly alarmed” but said it was a “proportionate and sensible response”.

Mrs Rudd said 984 troops had been deployed in the first instance. Up to 3,800 are available.

She said she “absolutely” expected the raising of the threat level to critical to be temporary, adding that the bomber had been known “up to a point” by the intelligence services.

Mrs Rudd also said there would be an “uplift” in Prevent, the government’s anti-radicalisation programme, after June. This had already been planned before Monday’s attack, she added. BBC News