Manchester attack: Police say bomber Salman Abedi was part of terror network

Police say they are investigating a terror network linked to the Manchester bomber, as hundreds of soldiers are deployed to UK streets to help guard against the threat of another attack.

Greater Manchester Police have arrested a total of five people and raided a series of addresses as part of a fast-moving probe into Monday night's horror.

A man was arrested in Wigan on Wednesday afternoon in connection with the Manchester Arena bombing, with officers assessing a package he was carrying.

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Earlier on Wednesday, three men were arrested after police executed warrants in South Manchester.

Greater Manchester chief constable Ian Hopkins said: "It's very clear that this is a network that we are investigating."

On Tuesday afternoon, a 23-year-old man was arrested at a supermarket just a mile away from a house occupied by bomber Salman Abedi.

In addition, counter-terror police have arrested Abedi's younger brother and father in Tripoli, Libya.

Officers entered an address in Manchester city centre on Wednesday afternoon using a controlled explosion, adding to the number of properties that have been searched in connection with the attack.

As they hunt for accomplices, police are trying to piece together the movements of Abedi, a 22-year-old Briton of Libyan descent.

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Police have now identified all 22 victims of the attack at the Manchester Arena on Monday night, which came at the end of an Ariana Grande concert.

Victims include an eight-year-old girl and an off-duty police officer.

Sixty-four people were wounded in the blast.

On Thursday, a minute's silence will be held at 11am to remember those who lost their lives or were affected by the attack, the Government announced.

A senior NHS official has said 20 of those hurt in the Manchester bombing suffered "horrific injuries", including major organ damage and potential loss of limbs.

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The UK terror level has now been raised to "critical", the highest possible, meaning an attack is expected imminently.

Nearly 1,000 soldiers are on patrol, supporting police at key locations.

Army personnel are replacing armed police at sites including Buckingham Palace, Downing Street and the Palace of Westminster as part of Operation Temperer.

Wednesday's Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace was cancelled to redeploy police officers, while all public tours and events in Parliament have been cancelled.

As the country remains on edge following the worst terror attack since the London bombings of 2005, Premier League champions Chelsea cancelled their title parade.

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Home Secretary Amber Rudd has also expressed concern that Abedi may not have been working alone.

She told Sky News the bomber was known "up to a point to the intelligence services" and confirmed that he had recently returned from Libya.

France's interior minister has said both British and French intelligence services had information that the university dropout had also travelled to Syria and had "proven" links with Islamic State.

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Ms Rudd praised the British secret services, which she said had foiled 13 plots since 2013.

"We need to give them the space they need to continue their investigation," she added.

Speaking after a morning meeting of the Government's COBRA emergency committee, Ms Rudd said 984 soldiers would be on the streets on Wednesday, out of a total of 3,800 on standby.

The Home Secretary said the threat level would remain at a heightened state as the investigation continues.

In Manchester, the Islamic Centre held a memorial service in memory of the victims and condemned the attack.

Fawzi Haffar, a trustee of the mosque, said Abedi had not worked or worshipped there.

He has also expressed concern about what he said were Islamophobic acts in the area and elsewhere.

He said the acts ranged from verbal abuse to acts of damage to mosques, and encouraged any witness to reported them as "hate crimes".