Lounging on a Libyan beach with his childhood mates, the cannabis-smoking teenager who went on to slaughter 22 people in Manchester Arena attack after being radicalised and 'receiving secret terror training in Syria'
- Salman Abedi had recently returned from Libya before launching suicide bomb attack at Manchester Arena
- Mancunian of Libyan descent 'made regular visits' to North African country and 'had secret terror training'
- Abedi killed 22 after detonating a suicide bomb at Manchester Arena on Monday after Ariana Grande concert
- Home Secretary said it 'seems likely' he did not act alone and was known to security services 'up to a point'
- Hours later Greater Manchester Police revealed they had swooped to arrest three men in the south of the city
- Police say they know the names of all those killed and specially-trained officers are contacting their families
- Pictures have emerged of Abedi as a teenager relaxing with friends who are not connected to the bombing
- There is no suggestion any of the people he was pictured with have been involved in any wrongdoing
Lounging on the beach in Libya with friends and hanging out with his mates in Manchester, this is the teenage boy who became a suicide bomber.
Exclusive pictures show Salman Abedi as an innocent schoolboy, about seven years before he murdered 22 people including children as young as eight by detonating a bomb at Manchester Arena on Monday night.
According to schoolmates of the 22-year-old killer, the pictures were taken near his home in South Manchester and on a trip in his parents' home country of Libya when he was 14 or 15.
The 'ordinary' teenager posing in the new photographs was described as 'quiet' and 'not the sort of kid that stood out' and showed little interest in religion, friends told MailOnline, adding that he even smoked cannabis.
There is no suggestion any of the friends he was pictured with have been involved in any wrongdoing.
He went to Burnage Academy, a boy's school catering largely to Manchester's Asian community, and was a keen footballer, often playing at the ground at Whalley Range High School where the Manchester United Foundation held soccer sessions, they said.
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Lounging on the beach in Libya with friends and hanging out with his mates in Manchester, this is Salman Abedi (circled) as a teenage boy before he became a suicide bomber. There is a no suggestion any of the friends he is pictured with have been involved in any wrong doing
Exclusive pictures show Salman Abedi (circled) as an innocent schoolboy, seven years before he murdered 22 people including children as young as eight by detonating a bomb at Manchester Arena on Monday night. There is a no suggestion any of the friends he is pictured with have been involved in any wrong doing
Salman Abedi (pictured) had only just returned from war-torn Libya before launching his horrific attack and is believed to have undergone secret jihadi training
Thousands of troops will be deployed to guard 'key locations' amid fears another attack is 'imminent'. British soldiers were pictured arriving by bus this morning and heading towards a building near New Scotland Yard in London
Pictures show troops arriving at a Ministry of Defence Building today. They had earlier been seen boarding buses at wellington Barracks in London after Theresa May raised the terrorism threat level in Britain to 'critical'
'None of them were your typical Salafis or religious or extremists. No religion was involved,' a schoolmate said. A year ago, all of this changed when the killer started hanging out with 'people I hadn't seen before', one neighbour and schoolmate claimed.
'It was like a turning-point,' he told MailOnline. 'He suddenly started hanging out with people I'd never seen before and not his old friends anymore.'
A different schoolmate of the bomber, who was in the same class throughout secondary school, told MailOnline that Abedi had never shown any interest in religion.
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'He was just a normal kid, not one of those who ever particularly stood out,' he said. Yet neighbours of a family in suburban Manchester linked to Abedi said the family there were 'super religious'.
Fresh details of the attacker emerged as:
- Three men were arrested in south Manchester in connection with the concert bomb attack on Monday night.
- More details emerged of those killed, including a Polish couple and an aunt who shielded her niece in the blast.
- Prime Minister Theresa May raised the terrorism threat level in Britain to 'critical' - the highest possible rating.
- Thousands of troops will be deployed to guard 'key locations' amid fears another attack is 'imminent'.
- Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace and tours of Palace of Westminster tours cancelled.
- Home Secretary Amber Rudd vented her frustration over US leaks revealing details about the attack.
- Countries around the world supported Britain by lighting up major buildings in the colours of the Union Jack.
- French president Emmanuel Macron revealed plans to extend the country's state of emergency until November.
Police this morning searched the property and two officers remain stationed outside. Neighbours say that Abedi was seen 'in and out' of the house over the years and stayed there from time to time, but it is not clear whether this was his family home.
'The family is super religious. They have about 10 kids and you never see any of the girls,' one neighbour, who did not want to be named, said. 'I only ever saw the mother once or twice in 10 years. She always stayed in the house and whenever I saw her she was wearing a veil.'
Fresh police raids took place today with three men arrested over the attack. Police descended on two homes south Manchester yesterday
Police were seen outside a house in South Manchester this morning, in connection with three new arrests over the attack
Three men were arrested in fresh raids this morning, Greater Manchester Police revealed today. An officer is pictured at the scene of the arrest
Armed police officers patrol a police cordon near the Manchester Arena in Manchester this morning amid heightened security
Operation: Armed police outside Manchester Piccadilly train station during the early morning rush hour this morning
Armed police were seen patrolling the streets of Manchester today after Theresa May raised the terrorism threat level to 'critical' - the highest possible rating
Last night it emerged he had only just returned from war-torn Libya before launching his horrific attack and was seen as the 'face of hate' among some neighbours.
British-born Abedi had spent time in a conflict zone - possibly Syria - before slaughtering 22 in a suicide bomb atrocity at Manchester Arena on Monday night, it has been claimed.
A friend of Abedi, a Mancunian of Libyan descent, said the attacker had returned from a three-week trip to Libya - also an ISIS hotbed - just days ago. He is understood to have made regular journeys to the North African country in recent years.
It was also claimed last night that he had travelled by train from London to Manchester on Monday in advance of the attack. This has raised suspicions that he may have met co-conspirators or been supplied with his explosive device and was effectively being used as a 'mule' by an as-yet-unidentified bombmaker.
French interior minister Gerard Collomb said this morning Abedi is believed to have travelled to Syria and had 'proven' links with ISIS.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said the 22-year-old was known to intelligence services 'up to a point' and that it 'seems likely' he was not acting alone in the run up to the massacre. Hours later, police in Manchester revealed three men had been arrested in the south of the city.
Two teenagers, an eight-year-old girl, two mothers, a Polish couple and a hero aunt who shielded her niece are among those killed in the atrocity.
Forensics officers were seen working near Manchester Arena this morning as they examined the scene of the atrocity
Investigation: Scenes of crime officers wearing white suits were working close to the scene of the attack this morning
Police officers stand next to floral tributes left for the victims of an attack on concert goers at Manchester Arena, in St Ann's Square, Manchester, today
A woman pauses to look at floral tributes and messages in Manchester, this morning. Mourners last night held a candle-lit vigil to remember the dead
Renee Rachel Black (right) is comforted by Sadiq Patel in front of flower tributes at Albert Square central Manchester, this morning
Offering prayers: A man kneels down and prays close to floral tributes left in St Anne's Square Manchester this morning
There were heartbreaking scenes in central Manchester this morning as a steady stream of people came to pay their respects
Last night a chilling picture emerged of the terrorist who wore a 'face of hate' as he grew up in an anonymous suburb of Manchester.
The imam of Didsbury Mosque, Mohammed Saeed revealed Salman stopped going to the mosque in 2015 as he objected to anti- ISIS comments.
He said: 'Salman used to come to the mosque occasionally, he wasn't particularly friendly towards me because he didn't like my anti-ISIS sermons.
'He didn't like what I was saying and showed me the face of hate. He came to the mosque less and less after that.'
In an update on the investigation this morning, Amber Rudd said: '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 ... that they need to keep us safe.
'Taken too soon': Victims of Abedi's suicide bomb attack
Two teenagers, an eight-year-old girl, two mothers, a Polish couple and a hero aunt who shielded her niece are among those killed in the atrocity.
In the early hours of this morning devastated mother Charlotte Campbell confirmed that her 15-year-old daughter Olivia was the latest victim of Monday's suicide attack.
In a heartbreaking post, Charlotte, who yesterday appealed on TV for information about Olivia, posted: 'RIP my darling precious gorgeous girl Olivia Campbell, taken far far to soon go sing with the angels and keep smiling mummy loves you so much.'
Olivia Campbell's distraught mother confirmed that the 15-year-old (pictured) had died as a result of the blast on Monday night
It was confirmed this morning that Polish couple Marcin and Angelika Klis had died in the blast yesterday. They had gone to pick up their children from the concert when they were killed. Their children Alex and Patricia are said to be safe
Saffie Rose Roussos, 8, is the youngest known victim of last night's atrocity. Her mother, Lisa, was criticially injured and neighbours say she does know her daughter had died
The first victim of the Manchester terror attack has been named locally as 18-year-old Georgina Callander. She is pictured with Ariana Grande two years ago
This morning, it was confirmed that Polish couple Angelika and Marcin Klis have also died. Their daughter Alex Klis had launched a desperate search to find them online yesterday.
The youngest victim of the attack was eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos, whose mother Lisa is in intensive care. A family friend said Lisa, 48, did not know her daughter had died.
Friends Alison Howe and Lisa Lees, who were waiting to pick up their children outside the Manchester Arena on Monday night, were also confirmed dead by their families late last night.
Mothers Lisa Lees (left) and Alison Howe (right) were killed in the suicide bombing on Monday night outside the Manchester Arena in Manchester as they waited for their children
This image, believed to be of victim John Atkinson (pictured left), 26, from Bury, has been posted on Facebook by a friend
Kelly Brewster died as a result of her injuries, her family has confirmed. She had been missing since the atrocity last night
'True gentleman' John Atkinson, 26, also died in the atrocity, along with 32-year-old Kelly Brewster, who shielded her niece from the blast.
And a fundraising page has been set up in memory of schoolgirl Megan Hurley, stating she was taken 'far too early'. It has already raised more than £3,000. Her brother Bradley was seriously injured.
The first victim of the Manchester terror attack was yesterday named as 18-year-old Georgina Callander.
French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb later suggested British investigators had told Paris counterparts that Abedi had probably travelled to Syria. It raises the question of whether Abedi had links to French jihadists and terror cells.
'Today we only know what British investigators have told us - someone of British nationality, of Libyan origin, who suddenly after a trip to Libya, then probably to Syria, becomes radicalised and decides to carry out this attack,' Collomb told BFMTV.
Pressed on how he knew Abedi had been in Syria, Collomb said this was the information that French and British intelligence services had.
Asked if he believed Abedi had the support of a network, Collomb said: 'That is not known yet, but perhaps. In any case, (he had) links with Daesh (ISIS) that are proven.'
Police were standing outside Abedi's house in Fallowfield this morning as the hunt for possibly accomplices continued
Officers were seen entering and leaving the building this morning as it emerged that three men have been arrested over the attack
Police were also guarding a block of flats in South Manchester that was also at the centre of a raid yesterday
Police were still on the scene at Salman Abedi's home in Fallowfield, Manchester, today. Aa controlled explosion took place yesterday during a raid
A huge number of police - including armed officers - carried out a raid on a house in the Fallowfield area of the city. They remained on guard today (pictured)
Meanwhile, France's president Emmanuel Macron is seeking to extend the country's state of emergency, imposed after ISIS attacks, until November, the Elysee Palace announced.
Prime Minister Theresa May said yesterday that troops will be deployed to guard Buckingham Palace and other 'key locations' across Britain amid fears of a further terror attack. The Palace of Westminster today closed off access to all non-passholders.
Mrs May raised the terrorism threat level to 'critical' - the highest possible rating - on amid fears another atrocity is 'imminent'. Pictures this morning showed troops assembling at Wellington Barracks in London and entering a building near New Scotland Yard.
Abedi, who was born in Manchester after his religious parents fled Libya to escape the Gaddafi regime, had returned to Libya in the past week, a school friend told The Times.
The friend said: 'He went to Libya three weeks ago and came back recently, like days ago.'
According to the Sun, sources fear Abedi took advantage of the war in Libya to travel across the Mediterranean to Syria - without the knowledge of British officials.
Abedi was known to the security services before he walked into the arena on Monday night and detonated a bomb packed with nails, nuts and bolts, killing 22 people including children as young as eight. He is also being probed over alleged ties to an 'ISIS recruiter' in Manchester.
Yesterday, police carried out a controlled explosion at his home in the Fallowfield area of south Manchester following a dramatic raid by dozens of officers on the red-brick semi.
Chemical experts were seen outside with specialist instruments amid fears that he could have obtained radioactive material.
According to the Mirror, Abedi was friends with Raphael Hostey, also known as Abu Qaqa al-Britani, who served as an ISIS recruiter until he was killed in 2016 in Syria by a drone strike.
They were said to be family friends and it is feared Hostey may have helped radicalise Abedi.
There are also fears Abedi may have been inspired by Manchester-born Jamal al-Harith, who carried out a recent suicide bombing in Iraq.
Police yesterday recovered CCTV of Abedi striding into the Manchester Arena with what officers believe was a home-made bomb
Amid a series of other revelations, it was claimed that his father – an airport security officer – had left the UK to fight in Libya.
Sources also said his mother had raised concerns about her son's radical views before she herself left for Libya.
In addition, police were quizzing his brother Ismail, 23, on suspicion of involvement in the bombing.
A family friend, who asked not to be named, described the bomber as 'normal' and said they were known to the Libyan community in the city.
He told the Press Association: 'He was always friendly, nothing to suggest (he was violent). He was normal, to be honest.'
Although Abedi was known to the security services, he was not under surveillance and officers had no inkling he was building a bomb.
Born in Manchester in 1994, the third of four children, his parents were Libyan refugees who came to the UK to escape the Gaddafi regime and his father is a suspected fighter who left the UK in 2011 to try to overthrow the Libyan leader.
Ramadan Abedi, an airport security officer who is thought to have worked at Manchester Airport, emigrated to London with his wife Samia Tabbal, 50, before moving to the Fallowfield area of south Manchester where they settled in a housing association-owned home about two miles from the scene of Monday night's terror attack.
Friends and neighbours said Abedi appeared to be a normal football-mad teenager who was a massive Manchester United fan and spent hours playing computer games on the PS4
But everything changed in 2011 when his father abruptly left his job and home in the anonymous suburb to fight in Libya, leaving his family to fend for themselves, according to a local imam.
Abedi and his brothers appear to have followed in his footsteps by sharing stories of British jihadis fighting in Syria on social networks and even praying in the street.
Within hours of the attack carried out by Abedi, police arrested his brother Ismail, 23, outside a Morrison's in Chorlton, Manchester and last night they were quizzing him on suspicion of involvement in the bombing.
Security was on high alert around Buckingham Palace today and police arrested a man in possession of a knife
Pictures show a man surrounded by officers and handcuffed as he sat on the ground in The Mall at around 10.40am this morning
A policeman holds a knife as colleagues detain a man opposite Buckingham Palace just before the Changing of the Guard ceremony today
The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace was cancelled along with public tours of the Palace of Westminster.Police escort members of the Household Cavalry along the Mall in central London this morning
There was also a heightened Police Scotland presence at Edinburgh Airport this morning (pictured) following the terrorist attack at Manchester Arena
Armed police were today seen at Glasgow Central Station following the attack on Manchester Arena. Police Scotland and the Scottish Government have confirmed that following several meetings security would be stepped up at transport hubs
The IT manager, who is married to a maths teacher, worked for Park Cake Bakeries in Oldham until January. It is believed that Ismail, who worked as a teaching assistant giving Arabic classes and IT support at Didsbury mosque Quran school, was once reported to a counter- terrorism unit after concerns were raised by members of the Muslim community.
Abedi and his family were well known at their Didsbury Mosque just a few minutes' drive away from their modest £150,000 home.
Last night a source suggested anti-terror officers also tried to engage with Abedi, but he refused to co-operate. 'Salman Abedi is a troublemaker, that is the understanding we have from the community,' he said. 'He is a loose cannon, someone who is troubled.'
One neighbour claimed they heard Abedi chanting Islamic prayers at the home just weeks before the concert hall atrocity.
Abedi is thought to have attended multiple schools in Manchester Claremont Primary School including Burnage Academy, William Hulme and Stretford Grammar School.
Leon Hall, who went to school with Abedi, told Mail Online he saw the killer last year and said he had grown a beard. He also said the jihadist was a keen Manchester United fan.
Olivia Campbell's mother Charlotte confirmed early this morning that her daughter had died in the attack at the Manchester Arena on Monday night
Charlotte Campbell appeared on TV yesterday appealing for information, but tragically confirmed early this morning that Olivia had died in the suicide attack in Manchester
Yesterday Sasha Howe posted a picture of her mother Alison Howe (right) and friend Lisa Lees (right), who were caught in the fatal blast outside the arena on Monday
Megan Hurley died in last night's attack after watching singer Ariana Grande at the Manchester Arena, while her brother Bradley was injured
Mr Hall said: 'I saw him last year and he had a beard thing going on. We didn't speak but just nodded to each other. I don't remember seeing him with beard before.
'He always had a bit of an attitude problem. I can't say I really liked the man.'
He added: 'I saw him last year and he had a beard thing going on. We didn't speak but just nodded to each other. I don't remember seeing him with beard before.'
Mr Hall said they grew up playing together on the street around their home.
'He and I had a tussle many years ago when we were kids. It was over nothing, but he always had a bit of an attitude problem. I can't say I really liked the man.'
He went on to study at Salford University. A spokesman said: 'He was completely off the radar. He turned up for lectures for two years and then just stopped coming.
'He was living at home, so he was very much not living the student experience.
'He was not known to the university Islamic society.'
The source said Abedi began his business and management course in 2014 and attended lectures for two years but then stopped going.
He would have graduated this summer.
Last night one friend of Abedi's said it was 'crazy' to consider what he had done.
Few suspected that Abedi, a slightly withdrawn, devout young man, always respectful to his elders, would become a mass murderer.
One friend said: 'His parents are in Libya at the moment, they seem to go backwards and forwards a lot. I'm shocked.
'It's crazy to think he could do this, he didn't show any outward signs of being radicalised.
'I had noticed him being a bit more religious perhaps of late, going to the mosque more to pray and walking his little brother to school, being a bit more responsible.
'But nothing to suggest he could do something so terrible.'
This graphic shows where the explosion took place, in the foyer area, leading towards Victoria railway station
This photo shows the aftermath of the suicide bomb which ripped through the foyer of the venue killing parents and children
A man is pictured wrapped in foil and bleeding from a head wound after being caught up in the explosion at the Manchester gig
A policewoman comforted a young girl following the terrorist attack at Manchester Arena on Monday night
A 16-year-old cousin of Abedi's who lives near the family house said: 'He went to Libya two months ago. We go every summer.
'I don't really believe it [that he carried out the attack]. I know him and I know what type of person he is. He's a nice guy, we play [war videogame] Battlefield on the PS4.'
Last night neighbours described their shock as police carried out a controlled explosion.
Neville Edwards, who lives near the house where the controlled explosion was carried out, said his mother's house in the next street was shaken by the blast.
'She felt the ground beneath her shake. She was absolutely terrified.'
Debbie Smith, 53, a chef who lives opposite the Abedi house, said: 'I was here when the police blew the door, it was loud.
'I had just turned a television programme on, it was about 12pm. It sounded like they were blowing my own door in.
Twin pupils, aspiring medical students Zahra (right) and Salma (left) Halane, left their homes in Manchester and moved to ISIS-controlled Syria
Abedi is believed to have been friends with Raphael Hostey (pictured), also known as Abu Qaqa al-Britani, who served as an ISIS recruiter until he was killed in 2016 in Syria by a drone strike
'It went boom! It was frightening after what happened last night, it frightened the life out of my dog.
'The Abedi family have lived here a long time. At one point when Gaddafi got killed they put a massive flag on the roof of their house, the police had to come to tell them to take it down. I think they were glad he was dead.
'We never had any problems with the family. They seemed quite Western, they wore Western clothes.
'The men sometimes wore those long shirts on holidays, the women didn't wear veils, just headscarves. It's frightening to think that we have been living opposite a suicide bomber.'
Forensics officer were seen emerging from the killer's property carrying a booklet called Know Your Chemicals.
Neighbour Lina Ahmed, 21, said Abedi had been seen in the street chanting.
'They are a Libyan family and he has been acting strangely. A couple of months ago he [Abedi] was chanting the first kalma [Islamic prayer] really loudly in the street. He was chanting in Arabic.
'He was saying 'There is only one God and the prophet Mohammed is his messenger'.'
Abedi's younger brother Hashim, now 20, has posted comments on ISIS- supporting sites.
He showed an interest in Reyaad Khan, the Welsh jihadi killed in a drone strike, and commented on a newspaper article when Khan's mother appealed for her son to come home in 2014 before he was killed.
A timeline of how the terror unfolded in Manchester
6pm: Doors open at Manchester Arena in the north of the city centre. US pop singer Ariana Grande is on the bill for a sell-out concert. Fans, many of them teenage girls, excitedly share selfies as they wait for the show to begin. The 21,000-capacity venue, which is the biggest indoor arena in the UK and the second larges in Europe, was sold out.
7.30pm: The show gets underway with a support act BIA, an American rapper, taking the stage. Fans wait patiently for the main event - American superstar Ariana Grande.
9pm: Ariana Grande arrives on stage to the delight of the thousands of fans who have travelled the globe to watch her perform her hits which include Problem, Bang Bang and Break Free.
10.30pm: The star leaves the show and thousands of gleeful fans begin to file out of the arena's four exits. With the huge venue only half-empty, the horrifying sound of the booming bomb reverberates around the arena. Witnesses describe being knocked from their feet by an explosion and seeing dozens of injured, possibly dead, people including children lying on the floor. Others describe panic as concert-goers run for exits.
10.33pm: Greater Manchester Police (GMP) are called to reports of an explosion at Manchester Arena. Dozens of emergency services vehicles stream into the area and the emergency is confirmed two minutes later.
10.46pm: The North West Ambulance Service are called to the scene. They send 60 ambulances to Manchester Arena where victims have been maimed with shrapnel including nails and metal nuts from a bomb.
Moment 'nail bomb' explodes at Ariana Grande concert
This photo shows the aftermath of the suicide bomb which ripped through the foyer of the venue killing parents and children
The bomber is believed to have entered a foyer area of the venue through doors opened to allow young music fans to leave
10.55pm: Police urge people to stay away from the area as responders deal with a 'serious incident'. A huge police cordon is set up surrounding the building and roads are closed to the public as fans flee the massacre.
11.46pm: Police confirm there have been a number fatalities, but cannot confirm the figure.
Tuesday
1.10am: Nineteen people are confirmed dead and around 50 others injured following the suspected explosion police say is being treated as a terrorist incident.
1.35am: A controlled explosion is carried out on a suspicious item in the Cathedral Gardens area near Manchester Arena. It is later confirmed to be abandoned clothing.
Bloodied concertgoers were pictured being helped by armed police outside the arena after explosions rang out at the gig
2.15am: Prime Minister Theresa May says her thoughts are with the victims and families of those affected in 'what is being treated by the police as an appalling terrorist attack'.
3.51am: Shortly before 4am Ariana Grande tweets that she is 'broken', adding: 'From the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry.'
7am: GMP Chief Constable Ian Hopkins gives a statement. He says the death toll has risen to 22, including children, with 59 injured. He confirms police are treating the attack as a terrorist incident and believe it was carried out by a suicide bomber detonating an improvised explosive device.
9.02am: US President Donald Trump expresses his 'deepest condolences' and calls those responsible 'evil losers'.
9.30am: The first victim of the atrocity is named as Georgina Callander. Miss Callander, 18, had posted a picture of herself with Ariana Grande at the same venue two years ago, captioning it: 'My meet and greet photos came through, she was so cute and lovely, I hugged her so tight and she said she loved my bow. I can't get over this, I never will.'
10.30am: GMP says it has arrested a 23-year-old man in South Manchester in connection with the incident. Footage shows officers leading the handcuffed 23-year-old to a police van outside a Morrisons supermarket in Chorlton-Cum-Hardy, south Manchester at about 10.30am this morning. Witnesses said the man was ordered to 'get on the ground' and that he was seen smiling at one point as a team of officers, who had arrived in a black Mercedes, made the arrest.
Armed officers arrested a man in south Manchester today with police saying the action was linked to the attack
11am: After chairing a Cobra meeting, Mrs May says the attacker has been identified by security services, but does not release details. She says the 'callous' attack was 'among the worst terrorism we have experienced in the United Kingdom'.
11.30am: The ambulance service confirm the number of people injured has reached at least 119. Of those hurt, 59 were taken to eight different hospitals in the Manchester area while around 60 were treated at the scene as walking wounded. The trust's chief executive Derek Cartwright admitted nothing could prepare his staff for a moment like this.
12.12pm: The Queen releases a statement expressing her 'deepest sympathy' to all those affected by the explosion, adding that the whole nation had been shocked by the 'death and injury'.
12.41pm: Islamic State claims responsibility for the atrocity. The extremists were quick to call the killer one of their soldiers, as has become the trend in the wake of many recent attacks in Europe. According to the SITE Intel Group, which monitors jihadist groups, the IS statement described the explosion as having taken place at a 'shameless concert arena'.
Eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos (left), 18-year-old Georgina Callander (right) and 26-year-old John Atkinson have been named as three of the 22 victims of the suicide bombing. It is feared many children are among those killed, as well as parents who had accompanied their youngsters to the concert or were picking them up
1.37pm: Saffie Roussos, 8, is confirmed as the youngest named victim of the terror attack. She has been described as 'simply beautiful'. Chris Upton, the headteacher of her school, Tarleton Community Primary, said: 'The thought that anyone could go out to a concert and not come home is heartbreaking.' Minutes later, the third victim was named - 26-year-old John Atkinson from Radcliffe who was leaving the concert. Friends and family have paid their respects online, describing him as an 'amazing young man'.
2.02pm: GMP say they have executed warrants at addresses in Whalley Range, and one in Fallowfield where they carried out a controlled explosion.
4.30pm: Attacker named as Salman Abedi. Abedi, a 23-year-old British man of Libyan origin, detonated a deadly explosive that ripped through crowds leaving an Ariana Grande concert at 10.30pm. Police are trying to determine whether Abedi acted alone or was part of a wider terror cell.
Hisham wrote: 'Inshallah we go together ,man.'
Abedi's sister Jomana, 18, attended the school in Whalley Range that hit the headlines in 2015 when twin pupils, aspiring medical students Zahra and Salma Halane, left their homes and moved to ISIS-controlled Syria after being recruited by Hostey.
Last night counter-terror police, assisted by MI5, were urgently piecing together the bomber's background to see whether he had any help in planning the outrage.
Police are understood to have recovered CCTV video of the attacker walking into Manchester Arena where he detonated a bomb.
It shows the explosion was deliberate and caused by a device that may have been contained in a bag, a source said.
The device is described as homemade and crude, but stable enough to be transported and explode with devastating effect. It is believed to have been constructed in Britain.
The attacker, who struck on the fourth anniversary of the killing of Fusilier Lee Rigby in Woolwich, south-east London, was carrying an identity document on him, sources said.
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