Manchester bomber Salman Abedi was known to intelligence services and it's 'likely' he didn't act alone admits Home Secretary

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said Salman Abedi was known "up to a point", and warned it seemed "likely" the 22-year-old bomber "was not doing this on his own"

ByDan Bloom

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Manchester bomber was known to intelligence services

Manchester bomber Salman Abedi was known "up to a point" to the intelligence services, the Home Secretary has confirmed.
Amber Rudd spoke after police named the 22-year-old as the bomber who killed 22 people as young as eight at the Manchester Arena.
She also warned "it seems likely, possible, that he wasn’t doing this on his own" after the terror threat was raised to critical.
Ms Rudd said today: "We do know he was known up to a point to the intelligence services.
"I’m sure we’ll get more information about him over the next few days."

But she would not confirm whether Abedi was on a specific terror watch list.

A girl is comforted outside the scene of the deadly attack (Photo: Cavendish Press/Pat Isaacs)

Armed police on the streets will soon be joined by troops (Photo: WENN.com)

Pressed for more information and how he was known she told Sky News: "I can’t be drawn on that at the moment because it is an ongoing investigation.”
Later she stressed "the security services will know a lot of people" but it does not mean they should arrest all of them.
But she admitted: "It was somebody they had known before."
Ms Rudd insisted investigators should be given space to do their work.
"Our intelligence services do a remarkable job. They have foiled 13 plots since 2013,” she said.

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The terror threat was raised to 'critical' last night for the first time in a decade and troops on the streets have been authorised amid fears Abedi was part of a wider network.
The Home Secretary insisted the move should be “temporary”.
She pointed out the only two times the terror level has reached critical, it was only for a few days.

Thousands gather for a vigil to remember victims of the Manchester Arena attack (Photo: Getty)

"We expect it to be temporary,” she told Sky News.
And she insisted soldiers are only out to ease pressure on investigators "so the police can go out and continue to do what they do best.”
She added: "It is an ongoing operation. The investigation is continuing to find leads. It is an active operation.
"Until we can be reassured… it is entirely safe around this operation, it is right that we are at this heightened state of alert.”

Mirror