United Kingdom Home Secretary Amber Rudd said Wednesday that it is “likely” the man behind Monday’s bombing in Manchester, England, did not act alone.
“[Monday’s attack] was more sophisticated than some of the attacks we’ve seen before, and it seems likely — possible — that he wasn’t doing this on his own,” she said of Salman Abedi, according to the BBC.
The Associated Press on Wednesday reported that British security forces arrested three more suspects in south Manchester following the attack. The BBC also reported that Abedi’s 23-year-old brother was arrested Tuesday.
{mosads}British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday announced that the U.K. had raised its threat level to “critical” — its highest level — following Monday’s attack.
“This means that not only is their assessment that an attack remains highly likely, but a further attack may be imminent,” she said in London, citing the U.K.’s Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre.
“It is a possibility that we cannot ignore that there is a wider group of individuals linked to this attack.”
Manchester police on Tuesday identified Abedi as the person suspected of detonating an improvised explosive device at the Manchester Arena.
Abedi, 22, was reportedly born in the U.K. to parents who emigrated from Libya.
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria on Tuesday claimed responsibility for the attack, which killed 22 people and injured more than 60 others.