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CCTV images of Manchester bomber on night of attack released

A rucksack is visible over Salman Abedi’s shoulders in the images taken from security cameras.

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Security images of the Manchester bomber on the night he committed mass murder have been released by police.

Wearing jeans, trainers and a dark jacket, Salman Abedi cuts an unobtrusive figure in his final moments before slaughtering 22 concert-goers on Monday.

On his back a rucksack is visible, which detectives believe could have held the explosive that tore through crowds exiting the Manchester Arena. His features are partly obscured by a baseball cap and glasses.

Greater Manchester Police blacked out the area around Abedi in the CCTV screengrab (GMP/PA)
Greater Manchester Police blacked out the area around Abedi in the CCTV screengrab (GMP/PA)

The CCTV images are the first to show what the 22-year-old looked like when he carried out the deadliest terror attack Britain has seen for more than a decade.

Greater Manchester Police did not reveal where it was taken or at what stage of the evening.

Before arriving at the concert, which had attracted a young audience including many children, Abedi is believed to have put the final touches to his bomb in a city centre flat.

Police said they had built up a “detailed picture” of his movements since he returned to British shores on May 18, reportedly from his family’s native Libya.

They made a further appeal to the public for information about Abedi’s activity between the arrival in the UK and his suicide attack.

Abedi's face was partially obscured by a cap (GMP/PA)
Abedi’s face was partially obscured by a cap (GMP/PA)

The force said in a statement: “We immediately established full command and control of the incident and within an hour of the attack taking place a specialist counter terrorism control room had been established with a first priority of identifying the attacker.

“Specialist counter terrorist forensic teams were sent to try and identify the attacker and within two hours his identity was known.”

The following investigation involved around 1,000 officers, as a huge operation was launched to suppress any further terror threats posed by Abedi’s potential network.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline anonymously on 0800 789321.

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