Bomber network targeted in raids

UK police will stop sharing information after US leaks

British police continued to raid properties in the north of England and make arrests amid fears the suicide bomber who killed 22 people at a concert hall in Manchester on Monday may have been backed by a network of accomplices.

Police were holding eight men who they believe were connected to Salman Abedi, the 22-year old who set off the explosion at the US singer Ariana Grande's concert. Abedi's father and brother were also arrested in Tripoli, Libya.

Ian Hopkins, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police described the arrests as significant and said that items found at raided properties were important. The examination of the properties would go on for several days, he said.

In the latest incident, an army bomb disposal unit was dispatched to the Hulme area of Manchester as the country observed a minute's silence in honor of the victims. It was later declared a false alert.

Meanwhile, police in Manchester said they would stop sharing information on their investigation with the United States after a series of leaks to US media. British Prime Minister Theresa May said she would bring the matter up with US President Donald Trump when they meet at a NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday. She said in a statement that she would make clear to Trump "that intelligence that is shared between our law enforcement agencies must remain secure".

The leaked information included pictures of the bomb components and the remains of the rucksack used to transport it, as well as the name of the bomber suspect.

US Congressman Mike McCaul, chairman of the homeland security committee, told reporters that the Manchester bomb was made of triacetone triperoxide. The explosive can be made from freely available materials and was used in the Paris and Brussels attacks of 2015 and 2016.

'Further attacks'

Officials fear the terrorist network, if it exists, may want to carry out further attacks as Britain hosts a series of high-profile sporting events. On Saturday, Arsenal plays Chelsea in London in the FA Cup Final, and next week, Juventus plays Real Madrid in Cardiff in the final of the UEFA Champions League.

Hopkins said on Wednesday that the force was urgently carrying out extensive searches at locations throughout the city.

"It is very clear that this is a network that we investigating, and, as I've said, it continues at a pace," he said. "There's extensive investigations going on and activity taking place across Greater Manchester as we speak."

Last year, it emerged that Najim Laachraoui, 24, was the bomb maker who provided devices used in attacks in Paris and Brussels. Laachraoui later blew himself up at Brussels airport, possibly because he knew the network had been compromised and that he was at risk of being arrested.

In response to fears that further attacks may be coming in the United Kingdom, the British government raised the nation's terrorism threat level to "critical", which means that another attack could be imminent.

Police leave has been canceled and soldiers have been deployed to patrol civilian areas, both very unusual measures.

Almost 1,000 soldiers have been deployed at Buckingham Palace, the Houses of Parliament, and other sites in London.

conal@mail.chinadailyuk.com

(China Daily 05/26/2017 page12)