Police Discover Identity of Manchester Bomber, Others Suspected of Assistance

Authorities have, through further investigation, revealed the identity of the Manchester bomber who initiated the attack on Monday.  The Manchester bomber, Salman Abedi, was reportedly a university dropout who ventured towards Syria, “a stronghold of the Islamic State,” following the conclusion of his schooling.

The Manchester bombing occurred on Monday night during the event of an Ariana Grande concert.  There, many children, teens and parents experienced what seemed like a night of high-spirits, joyous feelings, and great music—all until the following events of the night unraveled.  As the concert came to a close, a detonated explosion appeared in the crowd and audience members screamed in terror as they leapt from the seats, running towards the nearest exit.  The explosion killed at least 22 people and injured an additional 59 others.

            As police piece together the clues to this case, they have reportedly discovered that Abedi did not commit this act alone—it appears as though he had help.  According to The New York Times, “Mr. Abedi’s parents in Libya had become worried about his radicalization, and they had even seized his British passport, according to a friend in Manchester, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he feared for his safety.  Mr. Abedi had told his parents that he wanted to visit the holy Saudi city of Mecca, so they returned his passport.  But instead of flying to Saudi Arabia, he returned home, the friend said.”

Britain’s Home Secretary Amber Rudd says that, “It seems likely—possible—that he wasn’t doing this on his own.”  Authorities are continuing to search for accomplices that assisted in this act of violence, according to Chief Constable Ian Hopkins of the Greater Manchester Police, but whether they are searching for a bomb maker is unknown.  He says, “This is a network that we are investigating.  There’s an extensive investigation going on, and activity taking place across Greater Manchester as we speak.”

Additionally, moments before Chief Constable Hopkins voiced that, police detonated a controlled explosion at a house within the city—three men were thus arrested who were connected to the investigation.  As a result, four members total are tied to the case, although their roles are still yet unknown.

The BBC reports that Abedi may have played the role of a “mule”, carrying a bomb made by another individual—officials say that they are “looking into Mr. Abedi’s relationship with Raphael Hostey, a British recruiter for the Islamic State who is believed to have been killed in a drone strike last year.”

As authorities delve deeper into this incident, a longer network of suspects become apparent when tied to the case.  It is only a matter of time before the list of individuals are revealed regarding the incident that shook Britain.