26 May, 2017
"You have to assume that there was a bomb maker", says The New York Times correspondent Rukmini Callimachi.
British police are hunting for potential accomplices who may have helped Salman Abedi build the bomb which killed himself and 22 people in a crowded concert hall after a performance by United States singer Ariana Grande. The battery, which is used for emergency lighting, is more powerful than batteries typically seen in backpack bombs or suicide vests. Authorities found a Yuasa 12-volt, 2.1 amp lead acid batter at the scene. Preliminary information gathered by authorities reveal Abedi held a small detonator in his hand.
Abedi also said he was certain his son had not been in Syria. Grande was scheduled to perform in London tomorrow night and Friday, before crossing the English Channel for shows in Belgium, Poland, Germany, and Switzerland. We are thankful for the selfless service tonight of Manchester's first responders who rushed towards danger to help save lives.
The senior British government official said May would say that she believes "we must redouble our resolve to meet the threats to our shared society whether from terrorism or Russia".
The Telegraph newspaper reported that Abedi was born in Manchester and was one of four children to parents who were Libyan refugees who fled to Britain at the height of the Gaddafi regime.
Officials have been investigating the Abedi family's travels to Libya and whether Salman had been in touch with Islamic State (IS) militants there, particularly following the 2011 protests and downfall of Gaddafi.
Britain has raised its official terror threat to "critical" - meaning it is likely an attack is imminent - and is trying to uncover a suspected extremist network before it strikes again. So, the question becomes: "Is there a person who executed the attack, and, in addition, at least one bomb maker?" He declined to give further details on the investigation.
Other Manchester connections under investigation, the officials said, include a 50-year-old former Guantanamo Bay detainee, Ronald Fiddler, also known as Jamal al-Harith.
He confirmed that another son, Ismail, 23, was arrested Tuesday in Manchester.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd, who said Abedi had been known to British security officials, complained Wednesday about US officials leaking sensitive information about Abedi to the media, saying that could hinder Britain's security services and police.
