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Manchester bombing: Another attack 'may be imminent' after Ariana Grande concert blast

Megan Levy
Updated ,first published

What we know so far

By

It's just after 1.30am in Manchester now, so we're going to wrap up our live coverage of the events following Monday night's bombing.

Below is a wrap of the latest information we have about the attack:

  • The UK government has raised its terrorist threat level from "severe" to "critical". Prime Minister Theresa May said that "a further attack may be imminent".
  • Armed police who usually protect places such as the UK parliament will be replaced by members of the armed forces, and military personnel also may be deployed at public events.
  • The death toll from Monday night's attack stands at 22, with a further 119 injured.
  • Children are among the dead. The youngest so far identified is eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos.
  • Police have named the suspected suicide bomber as Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old former student at the University of Salford. He is believed to have been born in Manchester and his family is originally from Libya.
  • The Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility for the attack, although authorities are treating this with some scepticism.
  • Thousands of mourners have gathered in Manchester's city centre for a candlelight vigil to pay tribute to the victims.
  • The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade now urges a "high degree of caution" for anyone visiting Britain.
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Missing in Manchester

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Friends and family members are continuing to search for people missing in the wake of Monday night's bombing at Manchester Arena.

One of those reported missing is 14-year-old Nell Jones, a student at Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School.

She has not been heard of since the concert, The Daily Telegraph in London reports.

Denis Oliver, headteacher at the school, said: "We believe that one student remains unaccounted for and I have spoken directly with the family.

"This is an unbelievably difficult time for everyone affected by this terrible incident and our thoughts are with the families most affected."

Poet delivers powerful ode to Manchester

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A day after his city was targeted in a suicide attack, poet Tony Walsh has delivered a powerful and heartfelt tribute to Manchester, to the roaring applause of thousands packed into the city's centre.

Walsh, 51, recited his poem This Is The Place, an ode to the city and its people, as thousands of people gathered to pay tribute to the victims of the Manchester Arena attack.

He later told the Press Association: "As a proud Mancunian, I was worried that I'd find that emotional, particularly when I mentioned my mum, who passed away a while ago.

"It meant a lot to me. I wanted to do it for Manchester. I didn't want to crack, because Manchester won't crack.

"I felt quite calm actually, when it came to do it."

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Another photo emerges of 'suicide bomber'

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The Guardian in London has also published a photograph of a man it has identified as Salman Abedi, the Manchester Arena suicide bomber.

Nazia Parveen, The Guardian's correspondent for the north of England, said the photo was taken when Abedi was much younger and studying the Quran at Didsbury mosque.

It appears to be an image of the same man who features on the front page of The Sun, and who is also identified as Abedi.

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Thousands attend Manchester vigil

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Manchester's Albert Square was flooded with people wanting to pay their respects, a day after a suicide bomber targeted their city.

The terrorist attack was the worst in the history of Manchester and northern England, and the worst in Britain since July 7, 2005, when 52 people died, along with four assailants, in coordinated attacks on London's transit system.

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Witness saw bomber's remains

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A witness has given a graphic account of what remained of the suicide bomber, Salman Abedi, after he detonated his device.

Phil Dick, 54, told The Daily Telegraph in London that he was waiting to pick up two young family members from the Ariana Grande concert when the explosion occurred.

The impact was so great, he said, that he was blown off his feet.

When he picked himself up - with "smoke and blood everywhere" - he began searching through the bodies for his loved ones.

His family members were not among the dead, but he said he saw the bomber's remains "at the centre of it all - only his legs were left".

Roger Franklin laments in his piece that the attack was not against the ABC. AP
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Australian travel advice changes for UK

By Fergus Hunter

The Australian government's travel advice for Britain has changed after British Prime Minister Theresa May upgraded the terrorism threat from "severe" to "critical", meaning another attack may be imminent.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade now urges a "high degree of caution" for anyone visiting Britain, and Australians have been urged not to travel to Manchester for the time being.

British authorities are investigating whether the suicide bomber, named as 22-year-old Salman Abedi, was working alone or as part of a network.

A 23-year-old man, believed to be the alleged attacker's brother, has been arrested.

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What we know so far

By
  • The death toll from the Manchester Arena suicide bombing stands at 22, while a further 119 people have been injured.
  • Children are among the dead. The youngest so far identified is eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos.
  • The UK has increased its security threat level from "severe" to "critical", meaning intelligence authorities believe a further attack may be imminent.
  • Police have named the suspected suicide bomber as Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old student at the University of Salford. He is believed to have been born in Manchester and his family is originally from Libya.
  • The Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility for the attack, although authorities are treating this with some scepticism.
  • Thousands of mourners have gathered in Manchester's city centre for a candlelight vigil to pay tribute to the victims.
Crowds gather in Manchester to pay tribute to the victims.Leon Neal

Manchester attacker 'had become radicalised'

By

Manchester attacker Salman Abedi had become radicalised recently and had worshipped at a local mosque that has, in the past, been accused of fund-raising for jihadists, The Telegraph in London reports.

Mohammed Saeed El-Saeiti, the imam at the Didsbury mosque in Manchester, branded Abedi a dangerous extremist.

"Salman showed me the face of hate after my speech on Isis," he told The Telegraph.

"He used to show me the face of hate and I could tell this person does not like me. It's not a surprise to me."

Abedi visited the mosque to pray, but the imam insisted "he was not my friend, he is not close. I could understand that he was not happy with me because I did combat Isis in that Friday sermon sometimes".

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Donald Trump calls bombers 'evil losers'

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During a visit to Bethlehem, President Donald Trump pledged "absolute solidarity" with the UK and called those responsible for the Manchester attack "evil losers in life."

"I extend my deepest condolences to those so terribly injured in this terrorist attack and to the many killed and the families, so many families, of the victims. We stand in absolute solidarity with the people of the United Kingdom," Mr Trump said.

"So many young beautiful innocent people living and enjoying their lives murdered by evil losers in life. I won't call them monsters because they would like that term. They would think that's a great name. I will call them from now on losers because that's what they are."

Mr Trump said society can have "no tolerance for this continuation of bloodshed."

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