Middle-England terror cell: Police fear a SECOND bomb made by Manchester Arena suicide attacker is in the hands of his accomplices as they raid Moss Side barber shop that was 'regularly visited by Salman Abedi'

  • A huge stash of explosive chemicals was allegedly found at the home of killer Salman Abedi by police
  • Quantity of material has sparked fears that he could have build more than one device and distributed them
  • Ten people have been arrested since Monday's atrocity, which claimed the lives of 22 innocent people
  • One line of inquiry is that Abedi traveled to Syria, where he met up with other Islamic extremists 
  • Police carried out searches in St Helens, Merseyside, and Moss Side, Manchester, on Friday morning 

Fears are mounting that the Manchester suicide bomber may have built a second device that is now in the hands of jihadists, MailOnline can reveal.

Police who searched the bomber's home earlier this week allegedly discovered a huge stash of explosive chemicals and other components.

The quantity of material has led to fears that he could have built more than one device and has distributed them to other British-based extremists.

Another concern is that 22-year-old Salman Abedi might have been given the improvised explosive device and security officials are probing the possibly that the bomb maker has fled overseas. 

Intelligence officers believe Abedi probably made the sophisticated bomb he blew himself up with mostly on his own but think he may have had an accomplice who watched him as he entered the Manchester Arena foyer.

It comes as officers raided Fade Away barber shop, which was regularly visited by Abedi, in the Moss Side area of the city.  

Before they searched the business on Friday morning, officers made another arrest in Moss Side - bringing the total number of those detained to 10. Eight men remain in custody.

Police have also raided fast food outlet Lorenzo Pizza in St Helens, Merseyside, in connection with Monday night's attack.

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Police have this morning raided a property in St Helens, Merseyside, in connection with Monday's terror attack in Manchester 

Police have this morning raided a property in St Helens, Merseyside, in connection with Monday's terror attack in Manchester 

Officers carried out a search in St Helens after they arrested another man in Moss Side, Manchester, on Friday morning 

Police also carried out another raid at a barber shop in Moss Side, Manchester, as they continue to investigate the bombing

Police also carried out another raid at a barber shop in Moss Side, Manchester, as they continue to investigate the bombing

A police officer spoke to a man in a hardware store which is next door to a barber shop being searched by officers on Friday

A police officer spoke to a man in a hardware store which is next door to a barber shop being searched by officers on Friday

Byron Gibbs, 79, who owns the hardware store next door, told The Guardian he had seen the bomber visit the barber shop.

He described the owners as 'Muslim men of Middle Eastern appearance' and added he recognised Abedi in photographs.

Mr Gibbs said: 'He (Abedi) spends time with the people. I've seen him walk past the shop window lots of times. He was heading towards the barber's next door.

'I was shocked to see his face on television. It's been a long time since I saw him last.'

Meanwhile, evidence from the crime scene leaked in the US apparently pointed to a remote mobile-phone detonator with built-in redundancies to enable someone else to set it off.

It suggests another jihadist would have watched Abedi and was ready to blow up the explosives remotely if he backed out of the attack at the last minute. Initial analysis points to the fact Abedi did blow himself up.

The latest developments come as:

  • US President Donald Trump linked terror attacks to the migration of 'thousands and thousands', lecturing NATO leaders over open borders
  • It emerged that Theresa May will today urge world leaders to crack down on social media giants that refuse to co-operate on terror
  • A Libyan anti-terror official said bomber Salman Adebi phoned his nuclear scientist mother hours before his deadly attack and said 'forgive me'
  • An NHS chief wrote to 27 major trauma teams across the country urging them to prepare for a possible terror attack over the weekend
  • The parents of 15-year-old Laura MacIntyre revealed their daughter is still fighting for her life following Monday's attack, hours after it was confirmed her best friend Eilidh MacLeod was among those killed
  • Britain announced it would resume information sharing with US intelligence service following the fallout over details of the investigation being leaked to the US media 
  • A series of raids saw the number of arrests since Monday rise to ten, and a bomb squad was last night called to an address in Wigan 
  • A picture emerged of final victim Megan Hurley, 15, from Liverpool, whose older brother Brad was injured in the attack
Large crowds of residents were forced from their homes last night when a property in Wigan was searched by police, who ordered neighbouring streets should be evacuated

Large crowds of residents were forced from their homes last night when a property in Wigan was searched by police, who ordered neighbouring streets should be evacuated

Bomb disposal officers were last night called to a terraced house in Wigan, where police said 'significant items' were discovered in the investigation into Monday's attack 

Bomb disposal officers were last night called to a terraced house in Wigan, where police said 'significant items' were discovered in the investigation into Monday's attack 

A bomb disposal robot was seen in the street as residents were evacuated last night from their homes in Wigan after a home was raided by armed police

A bomb disposal robot was seen in the street as residents were evacuated last night from their homes in Wigan after a home was raided by armed police

Evidence from the crime scene leaked in the US apparently pointed to a remote mobile-phone detonator with built-in redundancies to enable someone else to set it off
It suggests another jihadist would have watched Abedi and was ready to blow up the explosives remotely if he backed out of the attack at the last minute

Evidence from the crime scene leaked in the US apparently pointed to a remote mobile-phone detonator with built-in redundancies to enable someone else to set it off

One line of inquiry is that 22-year-old bomber Salman Abedi made the bomb while at a terror training camp in a conflict zone
Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that he traveled to Syria where he met up with Islamic extremists

One line of inquiry is that 22-year-old bomber Salman Abedi made the bomb while at a terror training camp in a conflict zone

Abedi could have been planning the attack for up to a year, and made at least two trips to B&Q and Screwfix stores in Manchester to buy materials used in the attack, The Times reports. 

The newspaper states that he opened a bank account a year ago but did not use it until he used it to buy shrapnel used in the device which he set off on Monday.

Meanwhile, MI5 revealed it is currently probing 500 active investigations which relate to 3,000 people. It added that it has foiled five terror plots in the last eight weeks. 

It comes as a rented property in the city centre was used by Abedi to create the bomb he used to kill innocent concertgoers.  

The explosives in the bomb were also the same as those used in the Paris and Brussels attacks, a US lawmaker said. He pointed to a possible link to the same terrorist network. 

He is thought to have assembled the device on Monday at a one-bedroom flat in Granby House, which is close to Manchester Piccadilly Station.

The property was raided by police on Wednesday, and police are believed to have found traces of bomb components. 

Bomb disposal experts have searched an underground car park of Granby House after two men were spotted throwing a bag away just more than an hour before the attack. 

Police have asked local businesses to provide them with their CCTV footage from that evening. 

Police and army officers were called to Springfield Street in Wigan, where they discovered 'potentially suspicious items' linked to Monday's terror attack

Police and army officers were called to Springfield Street in Wigan, where they discovered 'potentially suspicious items' linked to Monday's terror attack

On Wednesday night a man was arrested in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Following a series of raids across Manchester, Wigan and Nuneaton in Warwickshire, police said they had made ‘significant’ arrests and seized ‘very important’ items

On Wednesday night a man was arrested in Nuneaton, Warwickshire. Following a series of raids across Manchester, Wigan and Nuneaton in Warwickshire, police said they had made 'significant' arrests and seized 'very important' items

Police are believed to have found bomb components in a flat in Granby House in Manchester, which is believed to have been rented by Abedi in the build-up to the suicide bombing. It is pictured during Wednesday's terror raid

Police are believed to have found bomb components in a flat in Granby House in Manchester, which is believed to have been rented by Abedi in the build-up to the suicide bombing. It is pictured during Wednesday's terror raid

A sea of flowers and tributes have been left in St Ann's Square, in the heart of Manchester, following the terror attack which claimed 22 lives on Monday

A sea of flowers and tributes have been left in St Ann's Square, in the heart of Manchester, following the terror attack which claimed 22 lives on Monday

The chair of the US House of Representatives' homeland security committee, Mike McCaul, said Abedi's backpack was loaded with TATP, the explosive used in Paris and Brussels.

One line of inquiry is that the 22-year-old bomber made the bomb while at a terror training camp in a conflict zone.

Investigators have not ruled out the possibility that he traveled to Syria where he met up with Islamic extremists.

They may have taught him how to develop improvised explosive devices (IEDs) - used by jihadists in the war-ravaged region.

FULL LIST OF ARRESTS SO FAR FOLLOWING ATTACK

  • Ismael Abedi, 23, bomber Salman Adebi's older brother, was arrested outside a Morrison's in Chorlton-Cum-Hardy at around 10.30am on Tuesday morning, 12 hours after the explosion at the Manchester Arena.
  • A further three men were arrested in Fallowfield, Manchester, at around 2.30am on Wednesday morning.
  • A suspect was detained in Wigan on Wednesday afternoon after he allegedly approached a bus with a suspicious package. Footage showed him being being led away by officers.
  • A woman was arrested in another raid in Blackley at around 6.30pm on Wednesday, but was later released without charge.
  • Hashem and Ramadan Abedi, Salman's younger brother and father respectively, were detained in Libya. The country's police claimed knew Hashem knew his brother was going to carry out the atrocity more than a month ago. 
  • Just after 9pm on Wednesday, police raided a property in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, and pursued a man who attempted to flee. He was Tasered to the floor by officers and has been taken to Manchester for questioning.
  • Police arrested a man in Egerton Crescent, Withington, following a raid in the early hours of Thursday morning. Another man was arrested in a separate raid in an unknown location in Manchester.
  • Greater Manchester Police arrested a man in Moss Side in the early hours of Friday morning - bringing the total number of those arrested to 10.  

However it is thought he had a 'degree' of co-operation from someone else, who is now thought to have left the country.

Sources said there were fears the extremist who helped him fled the UK prior to Monday night's explosion, which claimed 22 innocent lives. Investigators are working around the clock to try and hunt him down.

Intelligence experts are understood to be checking CCTV footage at key ports going back 48 hours from the time of the attack to see if anyone they have files on flags up on their databases.

As they work their way through uncovering the network of Libyan-linked extremists, the security agencies are finding out more details about the different roles jihadists have played. 

Seven members of a suspected Middle England Libyan terror cell were being held by police last night after a series of dramatic raids in connection with the Manchester atrocity.

They included relatives from the extended family of suicide bomber Salman Abedi and other individuals thought to be of Libyan descent.

But detectives fear further key figures of the gang are still at large – and could be preparing more atrocities.

Following a series of raids across Manchester, Wigan and Nuneaton in Warwickshire, police said they had made 'significant' arrests and seized 'very important' items.

Bomb disposal experts were this evening called to an address in Wigan which was raided in connection with the atrocity, and homes surrounding it were evacuated.

Greater Manchester Police said 'potentially suspicious items' were found at the terraced house, which locals say was raided by armed officers at around 1.30am.

A man had been arrested on Wednesday in Wigan, with dramatic footage showing him being marched away after being wrestled to the ground.

As counter-terrorism detectives stepped up their efforts to track down other suspects, witnesses described the dramatic moment armed officers detained a suspect at gunpoint in Nuneaton – ordering him to stay still or be shot.

The man, who was placed in a protective forensic suit before being taken away, was arrested near a block of flats after police began detailed searches of a nearby house.

Residents described how the suspect, thought by witnesses to be in his 20s or 30s, was taken away after a highly-controlled police operation lasting half an hour.

Army bomb disposal teams arrive at a college in Hulme, South Manchester, yesterday as investigations into Monday's attack continue

Army bomb disposal teams arrive at a college in Hulme, South Manchester, yesterday as investigations into Monday's attack continue

SUICIDE BOMBER 'CALLED HIS TEACHER AN ISLAMOPHOBE'  

The Manchester bomber who killed 22 innocent people - including nine teenagers - was in a 'clique' which once accused a teacher of being an Islamophobe, it has been revealed.

Salman Abedi, 22, became close with a group of Arabic-speaking students and the group took exception to what their teacher said at Burnage Academy for Boys in Manchester, according to The Times.

His teacher reportedly asked them what they thought of 'someone who would strap on a bomb and blow people up'. 

The group later visited their Religious Education teacher to complain and claimed that the question was 'Islamophobic'. 

A friend told the newspaper: 'Abedi was a silly boy, not very serious. He was not smart enough to be a mastermind or anything like that.' 

Another former classmate added: 'He had anger issues. He would get easily wound up and I remember he would storm out of class a lot because he didn't like the teacher's attitude.'  

During his time at the secondary school, which has more than 900 students, he is said to have spent time with a group of Somalis and they would smoke cannabis together. 

As the suspect was detained and Tasered, police half a mile away also raided the home of a Libyan dissident who survived a mysterious murder attempt during a recent visit to the north African nation.

The operation targeting the residence of the 47-year-old man began on Wednesday evening. Specialist officers continue to search the £250,000 semi-detached home, which sits in a smart Nuneaton street.

The man's 20-year-old son – one of three brothers – briefly appeared outside the family home last night. He denied that any of his relatives had been arrested, and said he did not know why his house had been targeted.

He said: 'They barged in as soon as someone opened the door. It was terrifying.'

He said the family were being put up in a local hotel but declined to answer further questions. Meanwhile, a van driver told how he came face-to-face with suicide bomber Salman Abedi in Nuneaton weeks before the Manchester Arena massacre.

Elijah Nyamhdzadza, 40, who recognised Abedi after reading of the bombing in newspapers, said: 'I'd know those evil eyes anywhere. He made my blood run cold.'

He added: 'I am 100 per cent sure it was Abedi. He was so weird that day, in his tracksuit shouting at me, he was so full of rage. It makes me feel sick to my stomach to think I came face-to-face with him.'

In the early hours of this morning, counter-terror police carried out a controlled explosion at a property in the Moss Side area of Manchester, although no arrests were reported by officers.

POLICE 'HAD BEEN TOLD ABOUT THREE TERROR SUSPECTS'  

Three of the men arrested after the Manchester bombing were previously reported to police after telling a mosque elder he 'deserved to be killed' for preaching against IS.

The trio are said to have made the remarks to Mohammed Saeed at the Didsbury Mosque in Manchester. It followed a sermon given by Mr Saeed in which he warned of the perils of joining the death cult.

A source at the mosque, which was founded in the 1960s in a converted church, said police were informed about the trio's remarks – although not Abedi's reaction – but took no action. 

Police also carried out searches at an address in the Withington area of Manchester yesterday morning and arrested a man. Meanwhile, detectives raided the Greater Manchester home of a family related to Abedi.

A neighbour said he saw the father of the family being taken away in handcuffs at 2.30am.

He said: 'There was a lot of shouting and the father was put in handcuffs. The rest of the family were walked out and they were all taken away.

'The father is very nice and I remember him being upset over 9/11 so I can't believe he could be involved.'

The Libyan terror connection deepened after it emerged earlier this week that the Abedis reportedly once shared a Manchester house with a man who had a £20million FBI bounty on his head as one of the world's most wanted terrorists.

A statement from Greater Manchester Police this evening said: 'We made an arrest in Wigan yesterday in connection with the investigation into the incident at Manchester Arena. Following this arrest a house in Wigan was raided this morning and is currently being searched.

'Potentially suspicious items were found at the address and a large cordon has been put in place as EOD make an assessment.

'We have a number of officers on the ground and are evacuating people as a matter of precaution as public safety is paramount to our investigation. We are working with the local authority to accommodate those who have been evacuated.' 

Police placed a wide cordon around the college and Mancunian Way, one the main traffic routes through the city, was closed

Police placed a wide cordon around the college and Mancunian Way, one the main traffic routes through the city, was closed

NHS WARNING OVER ATTACK THREAT

NHS hospitals are preparing for a possible terrorist attack this Bank Holiday weekend following fears of a similar incident to the one in Manchester, in which 22 people were massacred at a pop concert.

A letter obtained by the Health Service Journal (HSJ) re-iterates the potential threat the UK faces, with another atrocity believed to be imminent.

It comes after the threat level in the UK was raised to critical - the highest level it could be - in the wake of the suicide bomb attack at the Ariana Grande gig.

The message from Chris Moran, NHS England's national clinical director for trauma, was sent to the 27 major trauma teams across the country.

These centres, found in various English cities, are set up to provide specialised care and rehabilitation to people suffering life-changing injuries that could result in death.  

Dozens of residents were told to leave their homes shortly after 5pm, more than 16 hours after the property was originally raided.

They were eventually told they could return at around 9.10pm. The home itself is still cordoned off.

A robotic device to deal with potential explosives was seen on the scene, while children remained playing out in the streets surrounding the cordon. 

Meanwhile, back in Manchester yesterday, army bomb disposal experts rushed to Hulme, where officers were pictured pointing a gun at a man's head on the floor.

Police later announced that a man had been arrested in the same area on suspicion of cannabis possession, but declined to confirm whether the two incidents were linked. 

A helicopter flew over Castlefield Campus, in the Hulme area of south Manchester, a specialist school which, according to its website, deals with students with 'social, emotional and mental health difficulties'.

Teams were searching the school for suspicious items, while witnesses reported seeing 10 police vans arriving in the area, and one local wrote online that they saw a man being 'pinned to the ground' by a team of officers.

Police placed a wide cordon around the college and Mancunian Way, one the main traffic routes through the city, was closed, but this has now been lifted. 

Armed police wearing balaclavas blasted open the front door of a terraced house in Moss Side in an early-morning raid in connection with the Manchester Arena suicide bombing.

Officers in Hulme, Manchester, was yesterday pictured pointing a gun at a man's head as he lay on the floor. It was later announced that a man was arrested in the same area on suspicion of cannabis possession, but the force declined to confirm whether the two incidents were linked

Officers in Hulme, Manchester, was yesterday pictured pointing a gun at a man's head as he lay on the floor. It was later announced that a man was arrested in the same area on suspicion of cannabis possession, but the force declined to confirm whether the two incidents were linked

Neighbours said they were 'frightened to death' and 'terrified' as a controlled explosion took place at an address in Lindum Street at about 1.50am on Thursday.

Up to seven armed officers swooped on the address and shouted to concerned onlookers to stay away from their windows.

One man was detained when officers searched a property in Withington, south Manchester.

The killer's elder brother Ismail was held after being stopped in the street in Manchester on Tuesday, while his father Ramadan and younger brother Harshem were held by anti terror police in Tripoli, Libya. 

Police in the war ravaged North African country said Hashem had been planning his own terror attack and had been briefed by his elder brother of the bomb plot more than a month ago. 

His father Ramadan is said to have links to an an al Qaeda-inspired terror group. The arrested man's name has not been confirmed but friends said he was Libyan and a father of three.  

'FORGIVE ME': THE CHILLING WORDS BOMBER SAID TO HIS MOTHER HOURS BEFORE CONCERT MASSACRE 

Bomber Salman Adebi phoned his nuclear scientist mother hours before his deadly attack and said 'forgive me', a Libyan anti-terror official has said.

A Libyan security source revealed Abedi rang his younger brother Hashem in Libya, telling him to get their mother Samia Tabbal, 50, to call him.

Details of his plea for forgiveness emerged after Tabbal was quizzed by police in Tripoli.

News sources in the US, citing intelligence officials, have said Abedi's mother was fearful her son had been radicalised.

It has also been claimed she alerted authorities about it.

Lounging on the beach in Libya with friends and hanging out with his mates in Manchester, this is Salman Abedi (circled) as a teenage boy before he became a suicide bomber. There is a no suggestion any of the friends he is pictured with have been involved in any wrong doing

Lounging on the beach in Libya with friends and hanging out with his mates in Manchester, this is Salman Abedi (circled) as a teenage boy before he became a suicide bomber. There is a no suggestion any of the friends he is pictured with have been involved in any wrong doing

The terrorist's family had informed on the 22-year-old as they feared he had become 'dangerous', a US intelligence official said. 

Special Deterrent Force spokesman Ahmed bin Salem said Tabbal told interrogators her son left Libya for England only four days before the bombing and called her on the same day of the attack.

Bin Salem said: 'He was giving farewell.'

Another sibling, 20-year-old brother Hashem, and Abedi's father, Ramadan, were arrested in Tripoli on Wednesday.

Speaking on Wednesday, Ramadan had claimed his son seemed 'normal' when they last spoke five days ago and insisted: 'We don't believe in killing innocents.'

A third relative, Abedi's older brother Ismail, was arrested in Manchester on Tuesday.

Details of the call emerged after Miss Tabbal, 50, was quizzed by police in Tripoli yesterday.

She was accompanied by Abedi's Manchester-born sister Jomana, 20, who said he acted out of 'revenge' for America dropping explosives on Muslim children.

She told the Wall Street Journal that her brother was kind and loving, and she failed to apologise to those he slaughtered.

'I think he saw children – Muslim children – dying everywhere, and wanted revenge.

'He saw the explosives America drops on children in Syria, and he wanted revenge. Whether he got that is between him and God.'

It is not known what his involvement, if any, was. He was once reported to a counter-terrorism unit after concerns were raised by members of the Muslim community.

Bin Salem said Libyan investigators think, based on what Hashem told them, 'the bomber acted alone.'

He said Hashem told them that Salman learned how to make explosives on the internet and wanted to 'seek victory for the ISIS.' 

President Donald Trump yesterday told leaders of the NATO alliance that the Manchester bombing that killed 22 earlier this week demonstrates the depths of the evils of terrorism.

After leading a moment of silence at the NATO headquarters in Brussels for victims of Monday night's bombing, Trump said that attacks will continue unless steps are taken to counter terrorism strikes.

He said that the United States would never stop fighting terrorism, calling the Manchester attacks 'savage' and 'barbaric'.

Meanwhile he called the alleged US intelligence leaks 'deeply troubling' and called for US officials to launch a full investigation hours before British authorities announced they were once again sharing information with the US.

Terrorism must be stopped or ... the horror you saw in Manchester and so many other places will continue forever,' Trump said, referring to Monday's suicide bomb.

His comments came after he unveiled a memorial to the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington at the NATO headquarters.

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