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| Version 38 | Version 39 |
|---|---|
| Manchester attack: UK threat level reduced from critical to severe – live | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 12.12pm BST | |
| 12:12 | |
| Our graphics team has prepared a map showing the locations and dates of arrests so far this week in the investigation into the Manchester bombing on Monday evening. | |
| British police have arrested 11 suspects so far, while the brother and father of Salman Abedi, the man police say carried out the attack, have been held by a militia in Tripoli, Libya. | |
| 11.55am BST | |
| 11:55 | |
| UK terror threat level lowered | |
| The threat level has been reduced from critical, which means an attack is imminent, to severe, which means an attack is highly likely, Theresa May has said. | |
| The UK was moved up to critical on Tuesday. If it had not been lowered it would have been the longest ever spell of critical terror threat in the UK. | |
| However, Operation Temperer, which allows the military to be deployed to key sites, will continue until the end of the bank holiday, the prime minister said. May said: | |
| A significant amount of police activity has taken place of the last 24 hours and there are now 11 suspects in custody. In light of these developments, JTAC - the joint terrorism analysis centre - has taken the decision to reduce the level from critical to severe. | |
| The announcement comes after Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, said said he wanted to see the threat level reduced as quickly as possible as long as it was safe to do so. | |
| Asked if he supported the deployment of armed police, including at the FA Cup Final at Wembley, which he will attend, Corbyn said: | |
| I find it disturbing, everybody finds it disturbing, but we have to make sure we’re safe. I will obviously look into the situation and hope we can reduce the threat level as quickly as possible. | |
| We want people to be safe, we want people to enjoy a bank holiday, which is what a bank holiday is for, and we need to be secure and I think there’s a balance to be drawn there. The balance has to be that it’s police who do it, rather than the army, but it’s also about the strength of our communities. | |
| Updated | |
| at 12.16pm BST | |
| 11.40am BST | 11.40am BST |
| 11:40 | 11:40 |
| Tweeted pictures from the queues to the buses taking partygoers to Radio 1’s Big Weekend show the enhanced police presence. | Tweeted pictures from the queues to the buses taking partygoers to Radio 1’s Big Weekend show the enhanced police presence. |
| Humberside police said on Tuesday that people preparing to attend the event in Hull should expect stringent security checks. However, if the latter of these tweets is to be believed, some people are facing more intense scrutiny than others. | Humberside police said on Tuesday that people preparing to attend the event in Hull should expect stringent security checks. However, if the latter of these tweets is to be believed, some people are facing more intense scrutiny than others. |
| Waiting for the shuttle bus is loooooong #bigweekend im sad i may miss @TheAmazons 😳😩 pic.twitter.com/CJ43Z2kBdU | Waiting for the shuttle bus is loooooong #bigweekend im sad i may miss @TheAmazons 😳😩 pic.twitter.com/CJ43Z2kBdU |
| We're ready for #bigweekend feeling a bit sorry for the brown person being stalked by the armed police | We're ready for #bigweekend feeling a bit sorry for the brown person being stalked by the armed police |
| 11.13am BST | 11.13am BST |
| 11:13 | 11:13 |
| Details emerge of suspects in Cheetham Hill | Details emerge of suspects in Cheetham Hill |
| Josh Halliday | Josh Halliday |
| It is believed the two men who were taken away by police in the latest raids were brothers in the same friendship group as the Manchester bomber. | It is believed the two men who were taken away by police in the latest raids were brothers in the same friendship group as the Manchester bomber. |
| Neighbours identified Yahya and Mohamed Werfalli, aged 20 and 22, as two of the occupants of the house raided by armed police on Saturday morning. | Neighbours identified Yahya and Mohamed Werfalli, aged 20 and 22, as two of the occupants of the house raided by armed police on Saturday morning. |
| Officers used a controlled explosion to blow open the front door to the family home on a quiet street in Cheetham Hill at around 2am. Neighbours described how their houses shook as about 30 police officers, many armed, stormed the building. | Officers used a controlled explosion to blow open the front door to the family home on a quiet street in Cheetham Hill at around 2am. Neighbours described how their houses shook as about 30 police officers, many armed, stormed the building. |
| Separate raids also took place in Moss Side, where police are now evacuating residents. | Separate raids also took place in Moss Side, where police are now evacuating residents. |
| Three neighbours independently identified the Werfalli brothers from pictures. One close neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she saw the brothers being led away by police following the explosion. | Three neighbours independently identified the Werfalli brothers from pictures. One close neighbour, who did not want to be named, said she saw the brothers being led away by police following the explosion. |
| “I just heard the bang and I was so scared. I woke about 2 and the bang was about 3. I thought it was another bomb,” she said. “I’ve never been to their house. I’ve been here 13 years and they were here before me. The dad isn’t here, he lives somewhere else. They’re Libyan.” | “I just heard the bang and I was so scared. I woke about 2 and the bang was about 3. I thought it was another bomb,” she said. “I’ve never been to their house. I’ve been here 13 years and they were here before me. The dad isn’t here, he lives somewhere else. They’re Libyan.” |
| GMP said on Saturday morning that two men, aged 20 and 22, had been arrested in connection with the search. | GMP said on Saturday morning that two men, aged 20 and 22, had been arrested in connection with the search. |
| Yayha Werfalli, the older brother, is understood to have had a connection on social media with Abedi’s younger brother, Hashim. | Yayha Werfalli, the older brother, is understood to have had a connection on social media with Abedi’s younger brother, Hashim. |
| Others neighbours said the Werfalli family are Libyan and have lived in the three-floor property for six or seven years. | Others neighbours said the Werfalli family are Libyan and have lived in the three-floor property for six or seven years. |
| Majid Khan, 43, who lives opposite the raided property, said the brothers wore traditional Islamic clothing and that their father worked as an engineer in Sharjah, a city on the Persian gulf. He added: “They were very nice people. I’m surprised. I’ve known them about seven or eight years. They were friendly.” | Majid Khan, 43, who lives opposite the raided property, said the brothers wore traditional Islamic clothing and that their father worked as an engineer in Sharjah, a city on the Persian gulf. He added: “They were very nice people. I’m surprised. I’ve known them about seven or eight years. They were friendly.” |
| Another neighbour, Aftab Aslam, 30, said he heard one of the arrested men “screaming and and loudly crying” as he was led away by police.“I was up at 2 and just heard a big band. Very loud. Everybody came out on the street and police started shouting: ‘Go inside, go inside!’,” he said. “There were 12-15 police cars, maybe more including undercover. I thought it was something like a car explosion then I came out and cops were everywhere.” | Another neighbour, Aftab Aslam, 30, said he heard one of the arrested men “screaming and and loudly crying” as he was led away by police.“I was up at 2 and just heard a big band. Very loud. Everybody came out on the street and police started shouting: ‘Go inside, go inside!’,” he said. “There were 12-15 police cars, maybe more including undercover. I thought it was something like a car explosion then I came out and cops were everywhere.” |
| Here is a picture of the leaflet being handed to residents in Cheetham Hill following last nights arrests pic.twitter.com/NEnNGrLeRE | Here is a picture of the leaflet being handed to residents in Cheetham Hill following last nights arrests pic.twitter.com/NEnNGrLeRE |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.20am BST | at 11.20am BST |
| 11.02am BST | 11.02am BST |
| 11:02 | 11:02 |
| Evacuation under way in Moss Side | Evacuation under way in Moss Side |
| Helen Pidd | Helen Pidd |
| An evacuation in Moss Side is under way as part of an ongoing search linked to the Manchester bombing, Greater Manchester police said. | An evacuation in Moss Side is under way as part of an ongoing search linked to the Manchester bombing, Greater Manchester police said. |
| Bomb disposal van arrived at Boscombe Street in Moss Side. Surrounding streets closed. Neighbour saw man taken away. pic.twitter.com/3hrgubOpa5 | Bomb disposal van arrived at Boscombe Street in Moss Side. Surrounding streets closed. Neighbour saw man taken away. pic.twitter.com/3hrgubOpa5 |
| Our reporter Helen Pidd is on the scene: | Our reporter Helen Pidd is on the scene: |
| A number of streets in Moss Side have been cordoned off after bomb disposal experts arrived in a big van from the Royal Logistics Corps. | A number of streets in Moss Side have been cordoned off after bomb disposal experts arrived in a big van from the Royal Logistics Corps. |
| The activity seems to be on Boscombe Street, where a neighbour says they saw at least one person being taken away in the last hour. | The activity seems to be on Boscombe Street, where a neighbour says they saw at least one person being taken away in the last hour. |
| The cordon is being widened minute by minute with bit of Yew Tree Road, Thornton Road and Horton Road closed off, plus Boscombe Street. | The cordon is being widened minute by minute with bit of Yew Tree Road, Thornton Road and Horton Road closed off, plus Boscombe Street. |
| A police helicopter is circulating overhead. | A police helicopter is circulating overhead. |
| Van from Royal Logistics Corps bomb disposal unit stationed at end of Boscombe St in Rusholme/Moss Side. Residents evacuated. pic.twitter.com/ChbMUnJ7IH | Van from Royal Logistics Corps bomb disposal unit stationed at end of Boscombe St in Rusholme/Moss Side. Residents evacuated. pic.twitter.com/ChbMUnJ7IH |
| Greater Manchester police has tweeted this update on developments in Moss Side: | Greater Manchester police has tweeted this update on developments in Moss Side: |
| Latest update pic.twitter.com/3QXPonaGqM | Latest update pic.twitter.com/3QXPonaGqM |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.24am BST | at 11.24am BST |
| 10.55am BST | 10.55am BST |
| 10:55 | 10:55 |
| Shortly before leaving the scene of the Moss Side raid, Helen Pidd noticed two more police vans turn up. She has sent this tweet: | Shortly before leaving the scene of the Moss Side raid, Helen Pidd noticed two more police vans turn up. She has sent this tweet: |
| Another police van has turned up in the Moss Side cul-de-sac being searched by police. Officers wearing navy jumpsuits have got out of van pic.twitter.com/qnrhwI00lM | Another police van has turned up in the Moss Side cul-de-sac being searched by police. Officers wearing navy jumpsuits have got out of van pic.twitter.com/qnrhwI00lM |
| 10.53am BST | 10.53am BST |
| 10:53 | 10:53 |
| Jason Burke, the Guardian’s African correspondent, has assessed claims that Libya – the home country of Salman Abedi’s parents – has become a “hotbed” for Islamic extremism. Experts, he writes, say that the situation is far more complicated and warned against exaggerating the strength of jihadi groups in the country. | Jason Burke, the Guardian’s African correspondent, has assessed claims that Libya – the home country of Salman Abedi’s parents – has become a “hotbed” for Islamic extremism. Experts, he writes, say that the situation is far more complicated and warned against exaggerating the strength of jihadi groups in the country. |
| Isis has been forced out of the two cities on the Mediterranean coast it once controlled and, though it still has a presence in Tripoli and elsewhere, has scattered into shifting desert camps. Its propaganda now rarely mentions Libya, which United Nations experts once mooted as a possible alternative base for the group if it was expelled from its strongholds in Syria and Iraq. | Isis has been forced out of the two cities on the Mediterranean coast it once controlled and, though it still has a presence in Tripoli and elsewhere, has scattered into shifting desert camps. Its propaganda now rarely mentions Libya, which United Nations experts once mooted as a possible alternative base for the group if it was expelled from its strongholds in Syria and Iraq. |
| Al-Qaida uses the remote south of Libya as a rear base for planning and logistics but has no territorial control and does not seem to be seeking to expand. Local groups, such as Ansar al-Sharia, are fragmented and weak. | Al-Qaida uses the remote south of Libya as a rear base for planning and logistics but has no territorial control and does not seem to be seeking to expand. Local groups, such as Ansar al-Sharia, are fragmented and weak. |
| Aaron Zelin, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said: “Libya is relevant but not at the forefront” of Islamic extremist activity across the region. | Aaron Zelin, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said: “Libya is relevant but not at the forefront” of Islamic extremist activity across the region. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 11.09am BST | at 11.09am BST |
| 10.46am BST | 10.46am BST |
| 10:46 | 10:46 |
| Those off to see the Courteeners at Manchester’s Old Trafford stadium have been asked not to bring large bags or rucksacks, or indeed “flares, smoke bombs or any kind or pyro”. | Those off to see the Courteeners at Manchester’s Old Trafford stadium have been asked not to bring large bags or rucksacks, or indeed “flares, smoke bombs or any kind or pyro”. |
| Important information ahead of @thecourteeners concert this evening. Pls also check the website for further updates https://t.co/G3xtA43Zhb pic.twitter.com/S104CK6QAP | Important information ahead of @thecourteeners concert this evening. Pls also check the website for further updates https://t.co/G3xtA43Zhb pic.twitter.com/S104CK6QAP |
| 10.36am BST | 10.36am BST |
| 10:36 | 10:36 |
| Helen Pidd | Helen Pidd |
| Helen Pidd, our north of England editor, has tracked down the house in Moss Side were arrests were made yesterday. She writes: | Helen Pidd, our north of England editor, has tracked down the house in Moss Side were arrests were made yesterday. She writes: |
| Five police officers are guarding a terraced house in Dorset Avenue, the cul-de-sac in Moss Side where arrests were made on Friday. Several plain-clothed officers wearing blue plastic gloves have come out of the property in the last few minutes. | Five police officers are guarding a terraced house in Dorset Avenue, the cul-de-sac in Moss Side where arrests were made on Friday. Several plain-clothed officers wearing blue plastic gloves have come out of the property in the last few minutes. |
| Greater Manchester police would not confirm whether this was the property where searches are under way on Saturday, but it looks like it. | Greater Manchester police would not confirm whether this was the property where searches are under way on Saturday, but it looks like it. |
| Neighbours said there had been officers stationed outside the property for 24 hours but that they didn’t know who lived there. | Neighbours said there had been officers stationed outside the property for 24 hours but that they didn’t know who lived there. |
| Searches continue at a terraced house in Moss Side, which was raided yesterday. #ManchesterBombing pic.twitter.com/GGP3T3j9Rv | Searches continue at a terraced house in Moss Side, which was raided yesterday. #ManchesterBombing pic.twitter.com/GGP3T3j9Rv |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.42am BST | at 10.42am BST |
| 10.32am BST | 10.32am BST |
| 10:32 | 10:32 |
| NYT editor: "No regrets" about publishing bomb scene pictures | NYT editor: "No regrets" about publishing bomb scene pictures |
| The editor-in-chief of the New York Times has said he has “no regrets” about publishing pictures from the scene of the Manchester bombing, after they were leaked to the paper by sources in US intelligence. | The editor-in-chief of the New York Times has said he has “no regrets” about publishing pictures from the scene of the Manchester bombing, after they were leaked to the paper by sources in US intelligence. |
| Questioned about the disclosures on on the BBC’s HardTalk programme, Dean Baquet brushed aside criticism from the UK’s National Police Chiefs’ Council, which said they undermined the investigation into the attack. “We live in different press worlds,” he said. | Questioned about the disclosures on on the BBC’s HardTalk programme, Dean Baquet brushed aside criticism from the UK’s National Police Chiefs’ Council, which said they undermined the investigation into the attack. “We live in different press worlds,” he said. |
| When our police say that, we say: prove it. They didn’t prove it: I don’t buy it. I don’t buy that this hurt their investigation. We have thoughtfully, carefully published information that we publish after every terror in the world - and we should. | When our police say that, we say: prove it. They didn’t prove it: I don’t buy it. I don’t buy that this hurt their investigation. We have thoughtfully, carefully published information that we publish after every terror in the world - and we should. |
| Baquet pointed out that his paper published similar pictures after terror attacks in the US, including the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Boston marathon bombing on 15 April 2013. He also said that the distribution of the Manchester pictures among US agencies was not restricted to the most secret level. | Baquet pointed out that his paper published similar pictures after terror attacks in the US, including the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Boston marathon bombing on 15 April 2013. He also said that the distribution of the Manchester pictures among US agencies was not restricted to the most secret level. |
| “It was at the level of secrecy that made it much more widely dispersed than people are acknowledging,” he said. | “It was at the level of secrecy that made it much more widely dispersed than people are acknowledging,” he said. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 10.41am BST | at 10.41am BST |
| 9.40am BST | 9.40am BST |
| 09:40 | 09:40 |
| Josh Halliday | Josh Halliday |
| Our reporter Josh Halliday has captured this video of an interview with a neighbour of the house in Cheetham Hill that was raided last night. | Our reporter Josh Halliday has captured this video of an interview with a neighbour of the house in Cheetham Hill that was raided last night. |
| Aftab Aslam, 30, describes moment police blew open a neighbour's door in counter-terrorism dawn raid in Cheetham Hill pic.twitter.com/LLutAEE0zA | Aftab Aslam, 30, describes moment police blew open a neighbour's door in counter-terrorism dawn raid in Cheetham Hill pic.twitter.com/LLutAEE0zA |
| Describing the scenes, Aftab Aslam said: | Describing the scenes, Aftab Aslam said: |
| Police were just screaming, shouting at everyone: ‘Go inside, go inside; nobody [is] allowed to come out and nobody [is] allowed to be filming.’ So everybody was just watching from the windows. | Police were just screaming, shouting at everyone: ‘Go inside, go inside; nobody [is] allowed to come out and nobody [is] allowed to be filming.’ So everybody was just watching from the windows. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 9.43am BST | at 9.43am BST |
| 9.31am BST | 9.31am BST |
| 09:31 | 09:31 |
| Here’s some more news on the events that are – and are not – going on this weekend, thanks to PA. | Here’s some more news on the events that are – and are not – going on this weekend, thanks to PA. |
| Going ahead on Sunday: | Going ahead on Sunday: |
| Great Manchester Run. Thousands of defiant runners and spectators are expected to turn out for the 10k race. Participants should have received direct instructions from organisers by email. | Great Manchester Run. Thousands of defiant runners and spectators are expected to turn out for the 10k race. Participants should have received direct instructions from organisers by email. |
| Vitality Westminster Mile, London. Organisers said they are working closely with the Metropolitan police, the mayor’s office and other authorities on additional security measures for runners and spectators on the Mall. | Vitality Westminster Mile, London. Organisers said they are working closely with the Metropolitan police, the mayor’s office and other authorities on additional security measures for runners and spectators on the Mall. |
| Radio 1’s Big Weekend day two, Hull. Concert-goers should expect the same security measures as were in place on Saturday. | Radio 1’s Big Weekend day two, Hull. Concert-goers should expect the same security measures as were in place on Saturday. |
| Not going ahead on Sunday: | Not going ahead on Sunday: |
| FA Cup victory parades: Both Arsenal and Chelsea have said the victors will not stage street parades on Sunday to avoid placing additional pressure on the police. | FA Cup victory parades: Both Arsenal and Chelsea have said the victors will not stage street parades on Sunday to avoid placing additional pressure on the police. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 9.33am BST | at 9.33am BST |
| 9.18am BST | 9.18am BST |
| 09:18 | 09:18 |
| One of Barack Obama’s top aides has said that the former US president expected more investment from David Cameron and other European leaders to rebuild Libya after the US and allies helped to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi. | One of Barack Obama’s top aides has said that the former US president expected more investment from David Cameron and other European leaders to rebuild Libya after the US and allies helped to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi. |
| Ben Rhodes, a former foreign policy adviser at the White House, said that Obama’s expectation was that “there would have been a greater investment in the security force building from Europe”. | Ben Rhodes, a former foreign policy adviser at the White House, said that Obama’s expectation was that “there would have been a greater investment in the security force building from Europe”. |
| Salman Abedi, the suicide bomber who killed 22 concertgoers in Manchester on Monday, was the son of Libyan emigres who had left the country because of their opposition to Gaddafi’s government. Arrests since then by police trying to capture the suspected terror network that supported him have largely focused on Manchester’s Libyan community. | Salman Abedi, the suicide bomber who killed 22 concertgoers in Manchester on Monday, was the son of Libyan emigres who had left the country because of their opposition to Gaddafi’s government. Arrests since then by police trying to capture the suspected terror network that supported him have largely focused on Manchester’s Libyan community. |
| Rhodes told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday morning: | Rhodes told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Saturday morning: |
| I think we’re sympathetic to the challenges of doing that in a country that is not hospitable to foreigners coming in and providing that type of capacity building. | I think we’re sympathetic to the challenges of doing that in a country that is not hospitable to foreigners coming in and providing that type of capacity building. |
| I think, looking back, the window closed faster than people thought. | I think, looking back, the window closed faster than people thought. |
| I think people thought there was going to be a longer timeline to build up institutions in Libya, and, frankly, within about a year following when Cameron and (then French president Nicolas) Sarkozy travelled to Libya, within a year essentially it was going to be impossible to put things back together. | I think people thought there was going to be a longer timeline to build up institutions in Libya, and, frankly, within about a year following when Cameron and (then French president Nicolas) Sarkozy travelled to Libya, within a year essentially it was going to be impossible to put things back together. |
| Rhodes also said the transitional Libyan government “lost control of violence in the country”. He said | Rhodes also said the transitional Libyan government “lost control of violence in the country”. He said |
| When I look back on that I think we all believe we should have done better. What began as a humanitarian intervention led to the removal of Gaddafi, and then there was just an enormous vacuum and nothing filled that vacuum except for the militias on the ground. | When I look back on that I think we all believe we should have done better. What began as a humanitarian intervention led to the removal of Gaddafi, and then there was just an enormous vacuum and nothing filled that vacuum except for the militias on the ground. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 9.20am BST | at 9.20am BST |