This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/24/world/europe/manchester-bomber-salman-abedi.html

The article has changed 19 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Manchester Bomber, Salman Abedi, Is Thought to Have Traveled to Syria 3 Men Arrested in Investigation of Manchester Bombing
(about 1 hour later)
MANCHESTER, England — Salman Abedi, the 22-year-old man who carried out Britain’s worst terrorist attack since 2005, is believed to have traveled to Syria, the French interior minister announced on Wednesday. MANCHESTER, England — The police arrested three men here on Wednesday as part of their investigation into the deadly bombing at Manchester Arena, as the authorities tried to determine whether the attacker had accomplices.
The interior minister, Gérard Collomb, told BFMTV that French and British intelligence had information that Mr. Abedi had traveled to Syria and that he had “proven” ties to the Islamic State. The arrests came as Britain mobilized its armed forces to guard vital locations, after the government decided Tuesday evening to move to the highest level of alert — “critical,” meaning that a further attack “may be imminent.”
Tours of Parliament were called off until further notice, and the guard-changing ceremony at Buckingham Palace, long a favorite of tourists, was canceled. The military said it would deploy soldiers to support policing at Downing Street, the home and office of the prime minister, at the palace, at Parliament and at embassies, among other sites.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said on Wednesday that security officials were alarmed by the nature of the bombing, Britain’s worst terrorist attack since 2005.
“It was more sophisticated than some of the attacks we’ve seen before, and it seems likely — possible — that he wasn’t doing this on his own,” she said.
Ms. Rudd said that the bomber, identified as 22-year-old Salman Abedi, had been known to the British intelligence services and to the police “up to a point,” but did not elaborate.
Mr. Abedi, who died in the attack, grew up in Manchester and lived just less than four miles from the arena, where, officials say, he set off a crude, improvised bomb on Monday night, as fans were leaving a pop concert by the American singer Ariana Grande. The explosion killed 22 people and wounded 59 people seriously enough that they were hospitalized. Still others suffered minor wounds.
France’s interior minister, Gérard Collomb, told BFMTV on Wednesday morning that the French and British intelligence agencies had information that Mr. Abedi had probably been to Syria and that he had “proven” ties to the Islamic State.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack but did not describe Mr. Abedi’s links to the network. In several past terrorist assaults, extremists traveled to Syria from Europe for indoctrination and training.
“Today, we know only what British investigators have told us,” Mr. Collomb said. “A British citizen of Libyan descent, but who grew up in Great Britain, and suddenly, after a trip to Libya and then probably to Syria, is radicalized and decides to carry out this attack.”“Today, we know only what British investigators have told us,” Mr. Collomb said. “A British citizen of Libyan descent, but who grew up in Great Britain, and suddenly, after a trip to Libya and then probably to Syria, is radicalized and decides to carry out this attack.”
Mr. Collomb did not provide further details or specify whether Mr. Abedi was part of a larger network of extremists.Mr. Collomb did not provide further details or specify whether Mr. Abedi was part of a larger network of extremists.
The British authorities have identified Mr. Abedi as the man who set off a homemade bomb in the foyer of Manchester Arena on Monday evening after a pop concert by the American singer Ariana Grande. The attack killed 22 people and wounded 59 others; the Islamic State claimed responsibility but has not described Mr. Abedi’s links to the network. In several past terrorist assaults, extremists traveled to Syria from Europe for indoctrination and training. The Manchester police offered no details about the three men arrested, beyond saying that they had “executed warrants in South Manchester in connection with the ongoing investigation into Monday night’s horrific attack at the Manchester Arena.”
Born in 1994, Mr. Abedi was one of four children and a child of Libyan emigrants to Britain. He lived with his family in the Fallowfield section of Manchester, about 3.5 miles south of the arena. He was a student at Salford University. Born in 1994, Mr. Abedi was one of four children of Libyan immigrants to Britain. He lived with his family in the Fallowfield section of Manchester, about 3.5 miles south of the arena. He was a student at Salford University. His ID was found at the scene of the bombing.
Fears that Mr. Abedi might have had accomplices contributed to the British government’s decision on Tuesday evening to put the country on the highest level of alert — “critical,” meaning that a further attack “may be imminent.” At the Manchester Islamic Center, also known as the Didsbury Mosque, Fawzi Haffar, a trustee, said that Mr. Abedi’s father had worshiped there, but was not certain if other family members had.
On Wednesday, Mr. Collomb’s counterpart in Britain, Home Secretary Amber Rudd, said that Mr. Abedi was known to the British intelligence services and to the police, “up to a point.” But she, too, declined to provide additional details about Mr. Abedi. The father, Abu Ismael Abedi, is believed to have returned to Libya, Mr. Haffar said. Salman’s brother Ismael had recently done voluntary work at the mosque, which also hosts a school, Mr. Haffar added.
Mr. Collomb, who spoke with Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain after the attack, said that their two countries should continue cooperating closely on counterterrorism efforts despite Britain’s plans to leave the European Union, most likely in 2019. In the Fallowfield district, forensics experts examined a house on Elsmore Road that neighbors identified as the Abedi family home. The house was raided on Tuesday after the authorities set off a controlled explosion to gain entry. About 20 heavily armed police officers, some dressed in combat fatigues, approached the property, applying a strip of explosive material parallel to the front door frame, then blasting their way in, according to cellphone images captured by a neighbor, Alan Kinsey, who showed them to reporters.
France remains under a state of emergency since a series of Islamic State attacks in November 2015, and its new president, Emmanuel Macron, said on Wednesday that he would ask for the state of emergency to be extended. Mr. Kinsey, who lives opposite the house raided by the police, said that he waited and watched at the window, but no one else emerged, so he concluded that the property was unoccupied at the time of the raid itself. “It was empty, they didn’t bring anybody out,” he said.
In London, the heightened state of alert was visible in prominent locations. The military said it would provide armed guards at Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, Parliament and embassies. Unlike in France, however, prosecutors have not been granted additional powers to arrest and hold suspects. Mr. Kinsey said that there had been only occupant of the property in the last few months: a man in his 20s who was tall, slim, and often wore white clothing. Mr. Kinsey said he had only one brief interaction with the man over a parking issue.
The British police identified Mr. Abedi on Tuesday after several United States news organizations, including CBS News and USA Today, citing American intelligence sources, had already done so.
Ms. Rudd on Wednesday made clear the government’s dismay at the leaks.
“British police have been very clear that they want to control the flow of information in order to protect operational integrity, the element of surprise, so it is irritating if it gets released from other sources and I have been very clear with our friends that that should not happen again,” she told BBC Radio 4.
Asked whether the American leaks had compromised the investigation, she replied “I wouldn’t go that far, but I can say that they are perfectly clear about the situation and that it shouldn’t happen again.”