Home Secretary Amber Rudd says it ‘seems likely’ Manchester bomber Salman Abedi ‘was not doing this on his own’ as she confirms he was known to spies
HOME Secretary Amber Rudd says it “seems likely” Manchester bomber Salman Abedi was not working alone.
It came as she confirmed the 22-year-old was known to spies, the morning after the UK terror threat was raised to ‘critical’ amid fears another attack is imminent.
She said: “It is somebody that they had known and I'm sure when this investigation concludes we'll be able to find out more.”
Abedi, who was born in Manchester to parents of Libyan origin, was named by police yesterday as they raced to find out if he has links to a terror group or other extremists.
Ms Rudd told the BBC: “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.
"So the intelligence services and the police are pursuing their leads in order to make sure they get all the information.”
It comes as France's interior minister said Abedi is believed to have travelled to Syria and had "proven" links with Islamic State.
Gerard Collomb said both British and French intelligence services had information he had been to the Middle Eastern country, but did not provide more details.
Speaking on French television he said it is still unclear though whether Abedi was part of a larger network of attackers.
Mr Collomb, who’s own country is still under a state of emergency after a string of IS attacks, also spoke with Theresa May after the attack on Monday night.
The new information is another leak by a foreign power, and comes after Ms Rudd hit out at the US for doing the same, calling it “irritating”.
Asked whether it was frustrating lots of information about Abedi, including his name, had come out from the Americans, she issued a slap down to the key UK ally.
She told Radio 4’s Today programme: "Yes, quite frankly. I mean the British police have been very clear that they want to control the flow of information in order to protect operational integrity, the element of surprise, so it is irritating if it gets released from other sources and I have been very clear with our friends that should not happen again."
Asked whether the US leaks had compromised the investigation, she said: "I wouldn't go that far but I can say that they are perfectly clear about the situation and that it shouldn't happen again."
The Home Secretary also said they do not know for sure that IS was behind the attack, but was not surprised they had claimed responsibility for the brutal slayings.
The bomb, which was detonated at the Manchester Arena as Ariana Grande finished her performance, killed 22 people and maimed 64 in the worst terror attack on British soil since the 7/7 bombings in 2005.
The youngest victim is eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos, and among the dead is a brave aunt who shielded her 11-year-old nice from the nail-bomb blast.
Speaking earlier to Sky News the Cabinet minister said Abedi, who is reported to have recently returned to the UK from a visit to Libya, was known to the intelligence services "up to a point".
But she refused to be drawn about the nature of the information held on him, adding: "I am sure that we will get more information about him over the next few days and the next few weeks”.
And she said the threat level would remain at a heightened state while the investigation into the attack continued.
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It came after the Prime Minister revealed following a COBRA meeting the army will be standing guard outside Buckingham Palace, Westminster and Downing Street from today.
After speaking with security chiefs last night Mrs May said Britain will never be defeated by terrorism.
Raising the terror threat, which had been at severe since 2014, she said the police needed to investigate whether or not Abedi was acting alone.
The PM added: “But the work undertaken throughout the day has revealed that it is a possibility we cannot ignore that there is a wider group of individuals linked to this attack.”
Mrs May said the police asked for authorisation from the Secretary of State for Defence to place up to 3,800 armed military personnel at key sites around the country, which was approved.
The soldiers will be deployed as part of Operation Temperer, with the PM announcing that they will be "visible" at large events including concerts and football matches.
This is the first time the system, set up after the Charlie Hebdo terror attack in Paris in January 2015, has been mobilised.
The PM said: “I do not want the public to feel unduly alarmed. We have faced a serious terrorist threat in our country for many years.
“And the operational response I have just outlined is a proportionate and sensible response to the threat that our security experts judge we face.
“I ask everybody to be vigilant, and to cooperate with and support the police as they go about their important work.”