Toronto – Manchester law enforcement has identified Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old British-born resident, as the perpetrator of Monday night’s bomb attack at the Manchester Arena which killed 22 and injured 59.
Police have hinted it was a suicide attack, which killed Abedi, whose ID was located at the scene. A report in the New York Times stated that his parents immigrated to Britain from Libya. Abedi was born in 1994 and lived with his parents at the family home in the Fallowfield district of Manchester right up until the tragic events of Monday night.
Chief Constable of the Greater Manchester Police, Ian Hopkins, released Abedi’s name but no other details pending official identification of his remains by the coroner.
“The priority remains to establish whether he was acting alone or as part of a network,” Chief Constable Hopkins said.
The Abedis have been described by neighbour, Lina Ahmed, as quiet and occasionally flew a Libyan flag outside the home. “They were nice people if you walked past,” she said.
British Prime Minister, Theresa May was blistering in her reaction to the attack.
“The explosion coincided with the conclusion of a pop concert, which was attended by many young families and groups of children… This attack stands out for its appalling, sickening cowardice — deliberately targeting innocent, defenseless children and young people who should have been enjoying one of the most memorable nights of their lives.”
According to the same source, security experts share the opinion that this attack was sophisticated in its nature and required extensive planning to carry off. Former leader of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office in Britain, Chris Phillips, told the BBC: “It has involved a lot of planning — it’s a bit of a step up. This is a much more professional-style attack.”
The attack also has security experts re-examining current strategies being employed to thwart attacks of this kind. Some feel not enough is being done at the grass roots level to connect with Muslim communities on the ground, before radicalization occurs.
Richard Barrett, former director of global counterterrorism operations at MI6, is urging the authorities in Britain to invite Muslim community members into the prevention conversation, “to understand why people do this.”
Barrett added that “It’s about engaging the community and letting the community inform us about how to avoid attacks.”
