Who Is Salman Abedi, The Suspected Suicide Bomber In Manchester Concert Attack?

Salman Abedi is the 22-year-old suspected suicide bomber who detonated multiple bombs at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England.

WHO IS SALMAN ABEDI?

The attack killed 22 people, and left dozens more injured. UK Prime Minister Theresa May announced Tuesday that the country’s threat level has been raised to “critical” for the first time in a decade.

The suspect acted alone and was killed in the bombing. Abedi was named as the suspect on Tuesday, but his identity has not been confirmed. The blast marks the deadliest terror attack on British soil since the London bombings in 2005.

Abedi was born on Dec. 31, 1994 in Manchester to a Libyan family. He had at least three siblings. Manchester contains one of the largest Libyan communities in the UK. Abedi’s family apparently owned more than one residence in the city, and all will be raided by police.

Abedi was a student at Salford University, and was a likely attendant at the Manchester Islamic Centre aka the Didsbury Mosque. “We make sure they preach the true Islam, the modern Islam, that preaches love to each other, peace and harmony,” says Fawaz Haffar told the BBC, a trustee of the centre.

ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack, but gave no proof or evidence behind the claim. They said on their Telegram channel Tuesday that a “soldier of the caliphate” was able to “plant explosive devices” at the area.

A vigil was held Tuesday evening in Manchester for the deceased and their families. “We will stand together to say that this city is greater than the force that aligns itself against it,” said David Walker, Bishop of Manchester. “We are sending a signal not just to Manchester, but across the world that you can not defeat us because love in the end is always stronger than hate.”

Following an emergency Cabinet meeting, May called the attacks “callous” and “cowardly.” “We struggle to comprehend the warped and twisted mind that sees a room packed with young children not a scene to cherish but as an opportunity for carnage,” she said.