‘Significant arrests’ in hunt for bomber Salman Abedi’s network

Two more men have been arrested overnight in connection with the Manchester bombing.

The men, 20 and 22, are being held on suspicion of terror offences and were arrested after police carried our a controlled explosion to gain entry to a property in the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester.

Their arrests mean police are now holding 11 suspects in connection with the attack, which killed 22 people and injured dozens more.

Two more people arrested earlier in the week have been released without charge.

The arrests of the two men overnight came just hours after police said they had "got our hands around" a large part of the network connected to Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi.

Britain’s senior counter-terror officer Mark Rowley said "immense progress" had been made in the investigation, but further arrests were likely.

Earlier on Friday, armed police stormed a bus to detain a 44-year-old man in Rusholme, Greater Manchester.

"They are very significant, these arrests," Assistant Commissioner Rowley said.

"We are very happy we’ve got our hands around some of the key players that we are concerned about but there’s still a little bit more to do."

Police have raided a number of businesses and homes in the hunt for those who may have helped Abedi kill 22 people at Manchester Arena on Monday.

A barber shop linked to cousins of the suicide suicide bomber Salman Abedi was raided by anti-terror police on Friday, according to neighbours of the family.

Items including a laptop were seen in evidence bags taken away by police.

Neighbour Mohammed Mubarak, 18, said the bomber’s aunt and uncle lives at the address along with around eight sons and daughters, ageing from primary school age to early 20s.

Almost simultaneously, officers raided a pizza shop in St Helens, Merseyside, which had been rented by two men believed to be of Libyan descent.

Three raids have also taken place in Moss Side, while searches have reportedly continued at a flat in Manchester city centre, where police believe Abedi may have mixed chemicals for his bomb.

Greater Manchester Police said 12 locations had been searched and thousands of items examined.

"We have seized thousands of exhibits which are now being assessed," Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said. "I think it is fair to say that there has been enormous progress with the investigation, but still an awful lot of work to do."

Despite the apparent success of the investigation, the terrorism threat level remains at critical.

"Even with all the progress made so far, there still remain important lines of enquiry that will further build our confidence and understanding of the events that led to this ghastly attack," Assistant Commissioner Rowley said.

"That will enable those who set the threat level to revise their judgement."

(c) Sky News 2017: ‘Significant arrests’ in hunt for bomber Salman Abedi’s network