Yahoo News Pictured: Inside the Manchester terrorist's 'bomb factory' – the £75-a-night flat used by Salman Abedi
Pictures have emerged showing the inside of the Manchester flat that is suspected of being the bomb factory where Salman Abedi's deadly device was manufactured.
Heavily armed counter-terrorism specialists wearing protective body armour and camouflage clothing stormed the property in the heart of Manchester on Wednesday.
It has since emerged that the one-bedroom apartment in Granby House was advertised for short-term let with a firm called Arc Properties.
Listed for rent from £75 a night or £350 a week, the advertisement states: "Serviced accommodation in the heart of the city centre.
"Fully equipped kitchen and lounge with TV, one double bedroom and bathroom with shower. All bed linen / towels provided. Wi-Fi internet included. Parking available."
After shutting down a railway line behind the building, officers entered Granby House on Granby Row in a highly coordinated operation, which sources said was ordered after intelligence was received.
The highly trained team used a controlled explosion to blow off the door of the flat in order to disable any potential booby trap.
Residents of the block described hearing a huge bang before lots of shouting as the officers poured into the third floor flat.
Neighbours said the property had been rented out with different people coming and going all the time.
Residents also reported a large number of packages being delivered to the property in recent weeks.
It is not thought there was anyone in the flat at the time and there were no arrests made.
However, it is believed Abedi may have been in the Granby House flat immediately before Monday night's deadly terror attack at the Manchester Arena.
A local pub landlord described how police had been scouring the area looking for CCTV from that evening.
David Foran, 45, said police told him they were looking for footage covering the street outside the buidling from 7pm.
Security experts said the use of a rented flat, in a building with a transient population, would provide good cover for anyone wanting to set up a bomb factory.
Former Met Detective, David Videcette, who worked on the 7/7 investigation said: “If this was being used as a bomb factory it would have been full of items needed to put a device together.
“It is a complex process and there are lots of ingredients needed in order to get it right. There would be chemicals, acid, lots of sugar. The bath would probably be being used to mix things and cool things down. There would also be camping stoves.
“On entering this property there would be little doubt what they were dealing with. The use of the controlled explosion to gain access also shows the degree of caution that was being exercised.
“They have blown the door off in case the terrorists had set a booby trap, which is a standard approach in these situations.”
Residents spoke of their shock after hearing the explosion and fearing there was another terrorist attack underway.
Adam Prince, 38, who lives on the third floor, said he smelt gunpowder from the controlled explosion after being allowed into the building.
He said: "The flat has been entered, forcibly, there's the smell of gunpowder because they've pushed it in," he said.
"There's dust on the floor. It smells. Splatters on the wall, ash. They are taking different items in and out."
Resident Lynne Deakin, 53, described seeing five or six "army" officers outside the raided flat.
She said: "I'd gone up the stairs ... I was at one end of the corridor and they were at the other through a fire door. So one of the guys came out and he said 'get downstairs'."
Louise Bolotin, a freelance journalist who lives in the building, fled downstairs after hearing the fire alarm.
She said: "I came running down the front staircase, six floors, and got to the front entrance and was met by a police officer in full-on tactical helmet, face mask, machine gun. I was expecting to see the fire brigade."
Ms Bolotin described the raid as "absolutely massive" but said she was not aware of any arrests being made.
Timeline | How events unfolded at Manchester Arena
Yasir Qureshi, 38, who lives on the fifth floor, said: "I heard what sounded like a huge explosion, the building shook and the fire alarm went off.
"When my neighbour and I finally went down we saw armed police on the front door."
Chief Constable Ian Hopkins later confirmed that the investigation was focused on a “terror network”, but he would not be drawn on whether police had identified the bomb factory.
