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Bombing suspect named as 22-year-old Manchester native Salman Abedi

The suspected suicide bomber who killed 22 people at a concert in Manchester, UK, on Monday night has been identified as 22-year-old Salman Abedi.

Abedi was born in Manchester in 1994 to parents of Libyan birth, US security officials said, citing British intelligence officials.

Several children are among the dead from Monday night's shrapnel bombing at the Manchester Arena that killed 22 people, left 59 hospitalised and a further 60 treated at the scene.

Reported to be a Manchester United supporter, his parents emigrated from Libya to London before moving to the Fallowfield area of south Manchester, where they have lived for at least 10 years, the officials said.

Manchester bombing suspect Salman Abedi, 22. Source: The Sun
Manchester bombing suspect Salman Abedi, 22. Source: The Sun

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, saying that "one of the caliphate's soldiers placed bombs among the crowds".

Police say they are now urgently seeking to confirm whether Abedi worked alone, or acted as part of a wider network.

British Prime Minister Theresa May called it an act of "sickening cowardice" targeting "defenceless children and young people".

Police forensic teams remove items from a Greater Manchester house, including a 'Know Your Chemicals' book. Source: PA
Police forensic teams remove items from a Greater Manchester house, including a 'Know Your Chemicals' book. Source: PA

A US government source said investigators were looking at whether Abedi had travelled to Libya and whether he had been in touch with Islamic State militants there.

Police raided a house in Elsmore Road in Fallowfield earlier on Tuesday, removing numerous items including what appeared to be a small reference book with "Know Your Chemicals" on the cover.


A 23-year-old man arrested by police in a separate move in south Manchester in connection with the attack on Tuesday was believed to be Abedi's brother, news reports said.

Abedi had a sister named Jomana Abedi, the US security officials said.

Neighbours told The Sun Abedi, who had been studying business management and Salford University until he dropped out, had began to act strangely and grown a beard in the past 12 months.

Police carry out raids on a Greater Manchester property. Source: PA
Police carry out raids on a Greater Manchester property. Source: PA

Abdalla Yousef, a spokesman for the Didsbury Mosque in Manchester, said Abedi's father and brother had prayed there but Abedi had worshipped at another mosque.

"I have managed to track down somebody who knows the family. He confirmed his father and sister and the rest of the family had moved [back] to Libya and had moved there straight after the revolution, after Gadaffi was killed," Yousef said.

Flowers and candles are seen after a vigil in Albert Square, Manchester. Source: AP
Flowers and candles are seen after a vigil in Albert Square, Manchester. Source: AP

He said it was possible the brothers had travelled between the two countries since then.

A trustee of the mosque, Fawzi Haffar, said Abedi's father was currently in Libya and had been there for a while.

Fallowfield resident Peter Jones, 53, described the area as "quiet and safe".

Armed police at the scene during a vigil in Albert Square, Manchester. Source: AP
Armed police at the scene during a vigil in Albert Square, Manchester. Source: AP

Jones told AFP that he was "shocked" and "surprised" when he heard that the suspect was from there.

The Guardian reported that Abedi was known to the police and security services.

Police in New York City don heavy armour and weapons in wake of Manchester bombing. Source: AP
Police in New York City don heavy armour and weapons in wake of Manchester bombing. Source: AP

"He was such a quiet boy, always very respectful towards me," one member of Manchester's Libyan community told the newspaper.

"His brother Ismael is outgoing, but Salman was very quiet. He is such an unlikely person to have done this."

The newspaper said Abedi's father is well-known in the community, and worked as an odd-job man, but is thought to be currently in Tripoli.

- With Reuters and AFP