Manchester bomber Salman Abedi may have worked alone on explosive used to wreak terror
SALMAN Abedi ordered most of the core parts of the bomb he used to kill 22 men women and young children by himself, police have revealed.
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed their investigations have led them to conclude Abedi spent much of his time alone in the days leading up to his horrific attack on the heart of Manchester.
It comes as more than a thousand police officers work tirelessly to track down anyone who may have aided the twisted terrorist in his act of jihad.
Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson, Head of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, said: “Much of the investigation has been painstakingly working through Salman Abedi’s last movements.
“We have done this by examining his movements on CCTV and other interactions he has had whether it be with people or the phone calls he has made.
“With specialist support we also have a good understanding of the likely component parts of the bomb and where these came from.
“Our enquiries show Abedi himself made most of the purchases of the core components and what is becoming apparent is that many of his movements and actions have been carried out alone during the four days from him landing in the country and committing this awful attack.
“It is vital that we make sure that he is not part of a wider network and we cannot rule this out yet.”
The Detective Chief Superintendent added they were concerned with his behaviour prior to the attack, when he when he repeatedly travelled to the Wilmslow Road area in Withington with a large suitcase – 40 minutes walk from his home.
The sick murderer was seen traveling with the metallic blue case, which is still yet to be found by police, in Manchester city centre on May 22.
Earlier this week a police spokesman said: "We believe Abedi was in possession of this case in the days before the attack at Manchester Arena last Monday.
"I want to stress that this is a different item than the one he used in the attack. This image was taken from CCTV in the city centre on May 22.
"We have no reason to believe the case and its contents contain anything dangerous, but would ask people to be cautious.
"Anybody with information about the whereabouts of the case between 18 and 22 May should call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline in confidence on 0800 789 321.
"The public should not approach the case if they see it but contact police immediately on 999."