Suicide bomber Salman Abedi may have carried the powerful explosive used in the terror attack on Manchester Arena in a lightweight metal container concealed within either a black vest o
Suicide bomber Salman Abedi may have carried the powerful explosive used in the terror attack on Manchester Arena in a lightweight metal container concealed within either a black vest or a blue Karrimor backpack, according to reports published by The New York Times.
Abedi is also thought to have held a detonator in his left hand, the paper said, attributing the intelligence to “preliminary information gathered by British authorities.”
The paper published crime scene photos of what appeared to be the blood-smeared silver detonator, with wires trailing from one end.
“The apparent detonator, which British law enforcement officials said was carried in the bomber’s left hand, is also unusual for a manual detonator in a suicide device, in that it appears to have contained a small circuit board soldered inside one end, ” the paper reported.
“It is not clear from the law enforcement images if the object was a simple plunger switch, or included a timer or a receiver that could be operated remotely via radio signal – or some combination.”
A tight-lipped Home Office declined to comment on the suggestion the intelligence had been leaked by US authorities, just hours after Home Secretary Amber Rudd warned American officials not to share details about terror attacks, such as the Manchester bombing, before their UK counterparts.
Ms Rudd said she had reprimanded American officials who appear to have shared information with US media before it was released in the UK by British police of security services.
“I have been very clear with our friends that should not happen again, ” she said, calling it “irritating” when information was released from other sources as British authorities worked on the ongoing investigation.
