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What we know so far about Manchester Arena terror suspect Salman Abedi

Abedi is suspected of killing 22 people by suicide bomb in Manchester Arena.

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The suicide bomber whose terror attack at Manchester Arena left 22 people dead has been named by Greater Manchester Police as 22-year-old Salman Abedi.

Where is he from?

Believed to be of Libyan descent, Abedi was born in Manchester.

Manchester
Signs of support have been made in Manchester (Andy Hampson/PA)

Abedi was registered as living at Elsmore Road in the city as recently as last year – where police raided a downstairs red-bricked semi-detached property on Tuesday as they hunted those thought to be behind the blast.

He is thought to have lived at a number of addresses in the area, including one in Wilbraham Road, where plain clothes police made an arrest on Tuesday.

What do we know about him?

It was unclear whether he lived alone at the address, where a flag – possibly Palestinian – was occasionally seen flying from an upstairs window.

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins
Chief Constable Ian Hopkins named the suspect (Andy Hampson/PA)

Neighbours have recalled an abrasive, tall, skinny young man who was little known in the neighbourhood, and often seen in traditional Islamic clothing.

They said the young man had many visitors, one man dropping by regularly to pick him up in a Toyota Yaris.

Abedi is registered as having lived with his mother Samia Tabbal, father Ramadan Abedi and a brother, Ismail Abedi, who was born in Westminster in 1993.

Neighbours speak after the raid
Neighbours spoke to the press (Danny Lawson/PA)

A childhood friend of Ismail, who asked not to be named, described Salman as “normal” and said his family were known to the Libyan community in the city.

“Ismail’s brother was kind of like a normal guy,” he told the Press Association. “I’ve never chilled with his brother. I know his name is Salman and I say ‘hi’ to him and talk to him.

“He was always friendly, nothing to suggest (he was violent). He was normal, to be honest.”

According to the man, Ismail teaches Arabic classes at a mosque in the area, which his father was also said to visit.

A jumper from the concert
The concert was attended largely by young people (Peter Byrne/PA)

Abedi is also thought to have a younger brother, named as Hashim Abedi, and a sister Jomana, whose Facebook profile suggests she is from Tripoli and lives in Manchester.

The suspect also studied on a business and management course at Salford University two or three years ago, a source said, but dropped out of the course and did not complete his degree. He would have graduated this summer.

What did he do?

Abedi is suspected to be the lone male suicide bomber who detonated an improvised explosive device at Manchester Arena after an Ariana Grande concert. The blast killed 22 people and injured 59 others.

The scenes at the concert
Emergency services attended the scene in numbers (Peter Byrne/PA)

The terror attack has claimed more lives than any other in Britain since the 7/7 attacks in London in 2005, and Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Greater Manchester Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said detectives were working to establish whether Abedi was working alone. Meanwhile, a 23-year-old has been arrested in South Manchester in connection with the incident.

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