Salman Abedi: Police release new CCTV images of Manchester attacker moving around city in days before bombing

Officers investigating why bomber repeatedly visited Rusholme area with suitcase

A CCTV image dated 18/5/2017 showing Salman Abedi before he carried out the Manchester attack (Greater Manchester Police)

Police have released new CCTV images showing the Manchester attacker moving around the city in the days before the bombing as they attempt to piece together his final movements.

Investigators are appealing for help tracing a blue suitcase carried by Salman Abedi as he prepared for the atrocity, while making visits to the Wilmslow Road and Banff Road areas of Rusholme.

Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson, head of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, urged the public to look closely at the new images and contact police with any information.

A CCTV image dated 18/5/2017 showing of Salman Abedi in an airport before he carried out the Manchester attack. (Greater Manchester Police)

They show Abedi at an airport, using a cashpoint and walking around Manchester, and were all taken after he arrived back from Libya on 18 May.

Greater Manchester Police said the 22-year-old left the UK on 15 April and returned four days before the attack.

“We are continuing to make significant progress in our investigation,” Det Ch Supt Jackson said.

“We know from our enquiries that Abedi purchased parts for the bomb after arriving back.

“What we still need to understand is if he had any of the bomb parts in his possession before he went out of the country.

“This is why we are tracking his movements so carefully.”

A CCTV image showing Salman Abedi between 18 and 22 May, before he carried out the Manchester attack (Greater Manchester Police)

The detective confirmed that searches in the Banff Road area earlier this week were sparked by information given by members of the public, but despite house-to-house enquiries, police are “still not satisfied why Abedi went there”.

“It is vital we understand exactly where he went there and who he spoke to in these final days before the attack,” he added.

“We need your help as we piece together what happened in the lead up to the attack and if Abedi was helped by anyone.”

Police have previously confirmed that the attacker purchased many of the “core components” himself and made many movements alone in the four days before the attack.

But investigators are still probing the possibility of a wider network supporting the attack, which killed 22 people and injured dozens more at Manchester Arena.

Isis claimed responsibility for the atrocity, having released detailed instructions on carrying out terror attacks and bomb-making manuals.

The mother of the attack’s youngest victim has been informed of her daughter’s death after coming off life support in hospital.

Lisa Roussos, 48, was critically injured by shrapnel in the bombing that killed eight-year-old Saffie and injured her older sister, Ashlee Bromwich.

Greater Manchester Police confirmed that 10 men, aged between 18 and 44, remain in custody on suspicion of terror offences.

Two of Abedi’s cousins, his former landlord and a 15-year-old boy are among six people who have been released without charge so far in the investigation.

The UK’s terror threat level was raised to “critical” following the attack but put back down to “severe” days later, while hundreds of soldiers are now being taken off the streets.

Around 1,000 military personnel were deployed to guard sensitive sites and bolster police as part of Operation Temperer.

Heightened security will be in place at Old Trafford on Sunday, as Ariana Grande returns for a tribute concert alongside artists including Coldplay, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Take That.

All proceeds will go towards the We Love Manchester fund set up for victims and their families, while bar operator Central Fusion will also be donating its profits.

Anyone with information is asked to call the anti-terror hotline anonymously on 0800 789321 or send images and footages to police by visiting the UK Police Image Appeal website.