UK police say "large part of network" behind Manchester attack arrested amid fears over existence of second bomb

MANCHESTER — British authorities said Friday (May 26) a "large part of the network" behind the Manchester suicide bomber had been arrested after fresh raids were carried out amid fears the attacker might have built a second device that is now in the hands of fellow jihadists.

Despite the progress, Britain's top counter-terrorism officer Mark Rowley cautioned that more arrests were likely, Sky News reported.

Mr Rowley said "immense" progress had been made into the investigation but there were still important lines to follow.

He said this after early-hours searches were launched at a Manchester takeaway shop and a barbershop, with one man arrested on Friday morning.

Officers who earlier raided bomber Salman Abedi’s home discovered a working bomb factory with a huge stash of explosive chemicals and other components.

Security sources now believe he assembled the bomb himself after learning his trade in Libya. But the amount of material in his home has led to fears that he could have built more than one device and distributed them to other British-based extremists.

A security source told the Telegraph: “The worry is there was enough to build two or three bombs and we can’t rule that out.”

Abedi set off a bomb on Monday night (May 22) as fans left a concert by pop singer Ariana Grande at Manchester Arena, killing 22 people and injuring 64, many of them critically, in what British Prime Minister Theresa May called a sickening act targeting children and young people.

Eight men are in custody in connection with the atrocity, after a man and a woman were released without charge.To date, no one has yet been charged in the bombing.

Following the bombing, Britain’s terror threat assessment was hiked to “critical”, the highest level, meaning an attack is considered imminent.

Troops have also been sent to guard sensitive sites, an unusual sight in mainland Britain, while armed police are now patrolling the country’s trains for the first time.

As investigators continue to comb through clues, British police working on the case resumed intelligence-sharing with their American counterparts after a brief halt because of anger over leaks to United States media thought by Britain to be coming from US officials.

British officials said they have receive assurances from the US authorities that confidential material will be protected.

Meanwhile, campaigning in Britain’s general election, set for June 8, resumed Friday after being suspended because of the bombing.

The issue of security, which was not widely discussed in the election campaign before the attack, is now expected to feature highly.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in a speech linked Britain’s overseas military campaigns with terrorism at home.

A YouGov poll published in Friday’s edition of The Times put the Conservatives on 43 per cent compared to Labour on 38 per cent, far better for Labour than the double-digit margin that had previously separated it from the ruling party.

However, the poll also suggested that 41 per cent of respondents believe the Conservatives would handle defence and security best, compared to 18 per cent who said the same of Labour.

YouGov polled 2,052 people on Wednesday and Thursday. AGENCIES