Police seek talks with bomber’s brother in Libya

MANCHESTER SUICIDE bomber Salman Abedi did not act alone, police suspect, and detectives are waiting to speak to his brother in Libya.

Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson, the head of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, said officers were “engaged” with the authorities in the wartorn country, where Salman’s brother, Hashem, is currently being held.

Mr Jackson also added that, while detectives did not now think Abedi was part of a large network, they did suspect the involvement of others in the attack, which had been planned for months. He said he did not rule out further arrests.

Abedi killed 22 people when he detonated his bomb in the foyer of Manchester Arena at the end of a concert by the US star Ariane Grande on May 22.

Mr Jackson said: “We do believe that there are other people potentially involved in this. This is a live criminal investigation where central to it are 22 murdered people, with grieving families.”

He refused to say whether British police had travelled to Libya.

Hashem was arrested in Libya shortly after the explosion, along with his father, Ramadan. The family is originally from Libya, but fled during Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s dictatorship, with the father returning to fight with opposition forces when the uprising began in 2011.

Abedi’s older brother, Ismail, was among more than a dozen people held and questioned by police in the UK before being released without charge.

Mr Jackson said Salman Abedi travelled to Libya a number of times and they were investigating how he obtained the skills to make a bomb.

He said no video or note had been found from Abedi to explain his motivation.

Meanwhile, Ms Grande has paid tribute to Saffie Roussos, the youngest victim of the bombing, who would have turned nine on Tuesday. Following a concert in Buenos Aires on Wednesday, she tweeted: “Saffie, we’re (thinking) of you baby”, alongside a birthday cake emoji.