28 May, 2017
The de-escalation in the country's threat level from its highest point suggests confidence that the operations conducted in the last week have stifled any imminent threats.
"In light of these developments, JTAC - the joint terrorism analysis centre - has taken the decision to reduce the level from critical to severe".
She said: "The public should be clear about what this means - a threat level of severe means an attack is highly likely".
Early Saturday, two more men were arrested and taken into custody after officers carried out a controlled explosion to enter a home in central Manchester, police said in a statement.
Police made two arrests on Friday, one in Moss Side and one in Rusholme.
So far, 13 people have been arrested in the investigation, with 11 still in custody.
Britain's anti-terror efforts have become a much-debated issue after the Manchester suicide bomber Salman Abedi was identified to be a "former subject of interest" to the MI5. But he said there were still "gaps in our understanding" of the plot, as investigators probed Abedi's potential links to jihadis in Britain, Europe, Libya and the Middle East.
Monday night's massacre at the Manchester Arena left 22 dead, including seven children, and scores of others injured - the worst terrorist outrage to hit Britain since the July 7 attacks in 2005.
Prime Minister Theresa May announced the reduced threat level after chairing a meeting of the government's COBRA emergency committee on Saturday. The country is taking the unusual step of arming police for patrols in Manchester, London and other locations this weekend during spring bank holiday, the country's first holiday since the bombing.
Manchester is slowly returning to normal, though dozens of people remain hospitalized and the damaged arena and adjacent Victoria train station remain closed.
Ariana Grande is ready to return to Manchester. In a statement Friday, she said "I'll be returning to the incredibly fearless city of Manchester to spend time with my fans and to have a benefit concert in honor of and to raise money for the victims and their families".
"From the day we started putting the Dangerous Woman tour together, I said that this show, more than anything else, was meant to be a safe space for my fans...this will not change that", she asserted. "We will not quit or operate in fear. We won't let hate win".
