manchester police. there isa minutes by manchester police. there is a lot of information coming on social media. but that is from greater manchester police, they say that this was a suspected terrorist attack. an incident in manchester, and just a bit more detail about that. we were told at the centre of this explosion was the foyer. as people were leaving, as many teenagers and young children were leaving that concert, the foyer was the main entrance and exit to manchester arena. it is in their way you can buy merchandise, where you can stop after the concert and get your scarf or post up. we have been told that that was the centre of this explosion. that has not been confirmed yet, another piece of information, we were talking to one man who was with two daughters at the concert, and he said after the blast he on the floor holding on to his wife, his leg was shattered and was bleeding, and all around him he could see nuts and bolts on the floor. that is just what one man has said to us, it has not been confirmed by police. we expect more from the police at two a.m.. they have confirmed to me, greater manchester police

this is an update from greater manchester police. t greater manchester arena have been released. just before 10:35 pm on monday may 22, police were called to reports of an explosion at manchester arena. so far19 an explosion at manchester arena. so far 19 people have been confirmed dead with around 50 others injured. this is currently being treated as a terrorist incident until police know otherwise." so, that is worth repeating from manchester police, for the first time, they are treating it as a terrorist incident. they are also confirming 19 people have been confirmed dead with around 50 others injured. very grim news indeed. let's go back to alan who was inside the concert venue. when you hear that, alan, it must feel overwhelming to have been there? i feel very lucky now. must feel overwhelming to have been there? ifeelvery lucky now. iwas walking out thinking what was going on. i didn't think that it was nothing but a just got in the car and went home. i've been home for the last hour. it's very scary to think. i normally go out

of an hour since we got the first reports from greater manchester at police say they responded to an bang according to local people and eyewitnesses that manchester arena. we'd go to the weather, but we will bring you more on this feeding. more sunshine and rising cambridges as well. it was quite warm. “— cambridges as well. it was quite warm. —— good evening. —— more on this after we hear about it. sunny skies further south. —— rising temperatures. fié¥% cloud the of across the north of the uk. particularly where the particularly in scotland, where the cloud has brought with it some outbreaks of rain, some heavy showers. that wetter weather is pushing its way towards the paws "as are pushing its way towards the “wards are skies isles, eventually. there are skies behind for many. a lot of low cloud sitting in the south—west. that will feed its way overnight into wales and the south—west of england, and the south—west ofenglanw working. where and the south—west ofenglanw working where i" ' " are and the south—west ofenglanw working. where f are clear as well. butwhere there arefileer the

later today i will travel to manchester to meet the chief constable of greater manchester police, ianurnham. and members of the emergency services who have come to manchester's aid in its moment of need. and, as i announced last night, the general election campaign has been suspended. i will chair another meeting of cobra later today. at terrible moments like these, it is customary for leaders, politicians and others to condemn the perpetrators and declare that the terrorists will not win, but the fact that we have been here before and the fact that we need to say this again does not make it any less true. for while so often we experienced the worst of humanity in manchester last night, we also saw the best. the cowardice of the attacker met the bravery of the emergency services and the people of manchester. the attempt to divide us met countless acts of kindness that brought people closer together. and in the days ahead, those must be the things we remember. the images we hold in our minds should not be those of senseless slaughter, but of the ordinary men and women who put concerns

the incident happened at 10:35 last night according to greater manchester police. reating it as manchester police. they are treating itasa manchester police. they are treating it as a terrorist incident unless they get information otherwise. they say 19 people have been confirmed dead, umm, 50 people injured. we heard from british transport police that the explosion happened in the foyer area. we heard from manchester arena themselves, they say the explosion happened in a public space outside their venue. we have heard from eyewitnesses in the immediate aftermath of the explosion that they could see nuts and bolts on the floor. we don't know if that was debris from the explosion or if it was some sort of shrapnel involved in the explosion. the arena has been cleared, but police are still at the scene carrying out a controlled explosion, as we saw and heard. and ambulance staff are still dealing with casualties. thank you for the moment, andy. rebecca baty was an eyewitness at the event. she spoke to the bbc soon after the first reports. myself and my friends were in

greater manchester police, as louise we re greater manchester police, as louise were saying, we greater press conference from them, and that subsequent investigation, in around about ten or 15 minutes or so. but as louise was saying, it is very movable this morning. we will bring you that as soon as we get it and at some stage we are hoping to hear from the metro map of manchester, andy burnham, as well. —— metro mayor. the conservatives, labour, snp and liberal democrats have all confirmed that today's campaigning in the general election has been suspended. theresa may will chair a meeting of the government's emergency cobra committee. 0ur political correspondent chris mason is in downing street. good morning to you, chris. yes, good morning from downing street, where understandably there is a very different tone and feel to what would have otherwise been a noisy celebration of democracy, really, ahead of the general election in a couple of weeks' time. we can expect that for the next few days at least there will be a real dialling down of campaigning, certainly at a national level, as

we are waiting for some kind of press conference with greater manchester police to update us on greaterupdate us on the situation. but as you can imagine, it has been an extremely busy night for them. they will have had to mobilise huge numbers of officers, the armed response. there will be someone co—ordinating this major incident. they want to make sure that what they are putting out, the information, is correct. 0f course, they don't want to worry people more than they need to. they need to make sure the information they have is correct and substantiated. as always, these attacks, terror attacks, police will be looking at all things it is curious we have had reports from the us saying this could be a suicide attack. and is now further reports from the us, police and security forces. and at the cobra meeting, they will be discussing and looking at the idea that this was an isolated incident, hats they were not localised in the uk. that is why they take information from witnesses and people that were they are very, very seriously. when we saw that, you know, potential second device, th

and we are expecting to hear from greater manchester police. —— so hear from greater manchester policea may, and she says that the police are treating the incident as an appalling terrorist attack. and she goes on to say that they are working to establish the full details of the manchester blast. andy houli was in manchester arena, near the blast. —— holey. andy houli was in manchester arena, nearthe blast. —— holeylj andy houli was in manchester arena, near the blast. -- holey. iwas andy houli was in manchester arena, near the blast. -- holey. i was near the box office when it happened. i was waiting for my family to come out. i was talking to one of the girls, talking about this situation. and then the door flung open. but because she had the door open, we got thrown forward, through the door. towards the arena. the explosion was behind us and force us forward. but everyone who was ten or 15 people in this, they all injured. asi 15 people in this, they all injured. as i said before, that there were about 2030 people injured. there was so about 2030 people injured. there was so much c

that is the chief constable of greater manchester police. t he said it was a cancer that needs to be cut out. he said ukip will beef up troops and border guards. he said he believed other parties have been too cowardly to address the problem. there is no formula to turning back the tide of terror. action needs to be taken across many policy areas and it will take time to make progress. be are no doubt, the problem will not be solved if politicians are too cowardly to confront or even identify where the problem lies. moreover, without the political will to take difficult decisions, challenge communities and secure our borders, things are only going to get worse. news coming in and fred talbot has been convicted of a string of historical such offences on boys during trips to scotland when he was a teacher in the 1970s and 80s. fred talbot can put it —— convicted of a string of historical sex offences against boys during trips to scotla nd against boys during trips to scotland when he was a teacher in the 1970s and 80s. we will bring you more de

i have been here today at greater manchester police. hey and the security services are working, obviously, to identify whether there was a wider group of people involved in this particular incident. i mean we've now had the name of the youngest of the people who have died, a young eight—year—old girl from lancashire. that really is completely horrendous, isn‘t it? that really is completely horrendous, isn't it? it is an absolutely barbaric attack that has taken place. to kauft young lives in this way —— cut off young lives in this way —— cut off young lives in this way, it is devastating. 0ur thoughts and prayers must be with their families and friends at this horrendous tragedy that has taken place. i'm very clear that the police and security services have the resources they need to ensure they continue their investigation. i would like to thank those involved, the police and other emergency services for the way they responded to this terrible incident. i have just been hearing of police officers who were off duty turning up, wanting to

police in manchester. andy moore is here. what are we here in our? greaternt. this one a few minutes ago says that emergency services are continuing to work at the scene of the incident. they ask people to avoid the area and follow their twitter account for updates. we have also heard from the bbc‘s home affairs corresponded. he said from his sources, the north—west counterterrorism unit is treating the incident as a possible terrorist incident. senior counterterrorist officers are assembling in london tonight. —— correspondent. they are liaising with officials. casualties could be in double figures. we have had not an official casualties figure from greater manchester police. they talked about a number of fatalities in casualties. and they said they were setting up a casualties bureau. we also heard from british transport police, they confirmed that the explosion was in the foyer area. looking at bit is, we get a sense of the magnitude of what has happened inside their. yes. that tweet from the police said the two hours after the incident, they are still de

right, and part of the reason theresa may went to manchester earlier today, was to meet with greater manchester policeet with greater manchester police to get an update. she chaired a meeting of the xhernl city committee cobra, with high level officials not just from the government but the security services as well. much of that would have focussed on the investigation, and that really key question, about whether or not this was an individual or whether he was pa rt was an individual or whether he was part of a wider network. network. and if so, what kind of question that raises as you say, christian, about other people that may have been involved in this incident. i think we have heard from greater manchester police, that that will very much be the focus of their investigation, because that is such a critical question now, in the days and weeks ahead, that will be what they are looking at and trying to make sure that whatever threat that there may or may not be still out there, that that can be dealt with as quickly as possible, and we know, of course, that theresa may stood out here in downing stree

the chief constable of greater manchester police is ian hopkins. have faced in greater manchester and one we all hoped we would never see. families and many young people were out to enjoy a concert at the manchester arena and have very sadly lost their lives. 0ur have very sadly lost their lives. our thoughts are with those 22 victims we now know have died. the 59 people who have been injured and their loved ones. we continue to do all we can to support them and they are being treated at eight hospitals across greater manchester. as you will appreciate, this is a fast—moving investigation we have significance resources deployed to the investigation and the visible patrols people would see across greater manchester as they wake up to the news from the events of last night. this will include armed officers and more than 400 officers have been deployed on this operation throughout the night. the prime minister, theresa may, has suspended election campaigning and is currently chairing a meeting of the government's urgency cobra committee. she said her

greater manchester police gave this statement. nt as we currently know them. at around 10:33pm, we received reports of an explosion at manchester arena, in the city centre. this was at the conclusion of the ariana grande concert. currently, we have 19 people confirmed to have lost their lives in the explosion, and around 50 casualties that are being treated at six hospitals across greater manchester. my thoughts are very much with those that have been injured and lost their lives, and their loved ones, at this terrible time. we are doing all that we can to support them. officers from greater manchester police and emergency services are working at the scene, and are supporting those affected. we are automating the operation here at greater manchester police headquarters. an emergency number is available for all those concerned about their loved ones, or anyone who may have been in the area. the number is 0161856 91100. we are currently treating this as a terrorist incident, until we have further information. we are working closely w

we are co—ordinating the operation here at greater manchester police headquarters. biggest venue, with a capacity of about 18,001; concerts. many of those attending last i were children. i was near the box office in the foyer when it happened, waiting for me family to come out. i was talking to one of the girls, who was talking to one of the girls, who was talking to one of the girls, who was talking about florida and out. -- 18,000 was talking about florida and out. —— 18,000 for. and then the tour opened. when the door opened, we got flung forward through the door. towards the arena. —— door. —— that. everyone who was seven 01’ towards the arena. —— door. —— that. everyone who was seven or 15 feet behind us got injured. at least 60 ambulances were sent to the venue with the injured taken to hospitals right across the city. hours later, ariana grande tweeted these words... the singer was not heard in the incident. when she walked on stage, she left behind a venue filled with euphoria. moments later, it was transformed into a scene of multiple deaths. greg dawson, b

absolutely, let's just go back to what nick was saying that we heard this morning we understand greater manchester policeious about these leaks of the photographs and in the press conference that followed this morning, the chief constable ian hopkins said that this had caused distress to the families who'd already suffered such a terrible loss when their officers had to tell them that this information had been lea ked them that this information had been leaked last night. the one—minute silence was held here earlier today and nowhere was it felt more strongly than amongst the police officers who are dealing with this investigation, many of their collea g u es investigation, many of their colleagues and themselves came out here to remember the victims and also to support each other and then the chief constable ian hopkins took to the steps outside greater manchester police headquarters to give us an update. let me bring you right up to date with where we are. eight people are now in custody, all of them men. they were arrested in manchester, wigan and nuneaton. a woman was released —— the woman was arrest

confirmed that, that is not official, and we have not heard that from british police, from greater manchester policeomething that will be investigated, and that will be looked at. what greater manchester police have said is that they are treating this as a terrorist incident. but so far no one has claimed this attack, and we don't know who is behind it. thank you very much indeed. obviously a huge upset for so many people, not least of course for the performer herself. ariana grande has taken to twitter to express her own feelings, and that you are. that is what she had to say. we have also had a tweet from ariana grande's manager. she took to twitter also. just worth reminding you that 19 people are known to have lost their lives. something around 60 people, probably more than that, in the end, have been injured to varying degrees. the bbc‘s ed thomas spoke to a young girl who had been to the concert and a taxi driver from liverpool, who had driven to manchester to help people get home safely. we were walking out of the concert, towards the doors, and went to the wrong doors originally, and i said

he mixed with gangs in south manchester and greater manchester police said they were presented with this the claims although we do know from greater manchester police and also from the home secretary amber rudd that he was known to they will in some shape orform. the bbc says was known to they will in some shape or form. the bbc says they understand that abedi was in manchester earlier this year when he told people of the value of dying for a cause and made hard—line state m e nts for a cause and made hard—line statements about suicide operations and the conflict in libya. some extraordinary detail there. so, and the conflict in libya. some extraordinary detailthere. so, he was certainly known to people in his community. they had advised police about him and of course, the implication of that is on this occasion those warnings were either overlooked or missed, but we've said before, there are so many people to keep an eye on in some of these communities that it is always difficult and inevitably every now and again one does slip through the net. we will get more on that from tom symonds

manchester area, there is an increased visibility, increased police presents, to reassure people the police are working to support them. a greater uk counterterrorism network is involved in supporting the greater manchester police with the greater manchester police with the investigation. the public have been asked for their help will stop if they have seen anything suspicious, they have been advised to report it to the anti—terror hotline. we have a numberfor that, 08 00 329 321. if people have recorded any images or footage that would be of use to the police, they are also asked if they can send that to uk police image appeal .co .uk. we expect to be able to update you from what has happened in the meeting in there with the prime minister, the home secretary and the chief constable soon. thank you very much indeed. catreena renton reporting from greater manchester police headquarters. lian rugani eight is at —— eleanor garnier is at downing street. earlier on, theresa may said general election campaigning is suspended with agreement from other party leaders. she also chaired the meeting, with the government emergency committee

let's go to katrina renton at greater manchester police headquarters. cording to police in connection with this investigation. we understand that a man was arrested in wigan this afternoon in connection with that horrific incident that happens in manchester on monday night. a man was carrying a package which is currently being assessed by police. there were three arrests overnight, following raids. there were links to an address to where the bomber originally lived, and we understand his brother has been arrested. the 23—year—old arrested yesterday was also his brother. his younger brother, the younger brother of salman abedi has been arrested in libya. he is being held in tripoli. thank you, katrina renton. there's a lot of forensic work going on here in the arena in the 48 area. —— in the foyer area. they are collecting the foyer area. they are collecting the fragments. we've heard from frank gardener, al security correspondent, we think that salman abedi was only the mule. we now speak to a former counterterror officer who worked for the met police in

there is a decision we are waiting for greater manchester police. nce from great manchester police in the next few minutes, we will take you straight to that as and when the chief constable appears. 0ur assistant political editor norman smith is in downing street. we are starting to see the troops on the streets. 98a deployed so far, but many more available should they need them. we are told up to 4000 could be made available and i think that gives you a sense ofjust how seriously the security services and ministers are taking the potential terror threat. that we now face in the wake of the manchester atrocity, not just the scale the wake of the manchester atrocity, notjust the scale of resources being made available, but the very fa ct being made available, but the very fact that we are seeing troops deployed. this lunchtime, we actually saw para troopers in their red berets, elite troops, arriving in parliament presumably to replace the armed police who normally provide a security force, and i have to say, i am never seen armed soldiers at westmins

some of those who were injured being treated but as i was saying, many hospitals around the greater manchester policet is right, we know that 64 people are being treated for injuries at eight hospitals in the greater manchester police the, i am at manchester royal infirmary where nine victims of the attack are being treated here but just the right of me is the royal hospital and 12 children, those under 16, hospital and 12 children, those under16, are hospital and 12 children, those under 16, are being treated there. much has been made of the mancunian spirit over the last 48 hours, manchester is getting on with its business but of course for the 22 people, the families of the 22 people, the families of the 22 people who died, this attack will never be over. nor will it be for a very long time for some of the people who have been treated in hospitals around manchester. a little earlier we had from the chief officer of great amount to the health and social care partnership anti—gay marriage to speak to journalists and said that the many people who are being treated in —— health and social care partner

greater manchester police will not comment on those claims.t the manchester bomber‘s family? this is his brother hashem, now under arrest in libya for supporting so—called islamic state. this is abedi's father ramadan, affiliated to extremists, the libyan islamic fighting group. on his facebook page, he praises al-qaeda fighters in syria. today he gave an interview in libya minutes before he was detained, defending himself and his son. translation: salman does not belong to any organisation. i know this about him. he does not hide it from me. i always discuss things with me. i am sure and i believe that salman would not do such a thing, but there are hidden hands behind us, security organisations, in order to harm the libyan community, especially the youth. he did not travel to syria, i have seen his two passports and he never hides anything from me. there was no apology. before he left south manchester, we're told he would sometimes lead in prayers in this mosque. he's there all the time when the prayers are happening. he's a guy who announce

our news correspondent clare fallon is at greater manchester police headquarters. the police investigation, activity in moss side? yes, in the last few minutes greater manchester police have put out a statement to say that as part of an ongoing search and evacuation has happened in moss side. they described relocating people as a precautionary measure to ensure safety. the most recent arrests came in the early hours of this morning not in moss side but in the cheetham hillarea, not in moss side but in the cheetham hill area, close to manchester arena. they arrested two men aged 20 and 22, as they carried out a raid ona and 22, as they carried out a raid on a property. in order to gain access to the property they carried out a controlled explosion. the latest information from greater manchester police is that they have 11 people in custody linked to this investigation. they arrested a total of 13 people since monday night. two of 13 people since monday night. two of those have been released without charge. one of the people who was arrested was salman abedi's brothe

later today i will travel to manchester to meet the chief constable of greater manchester police in hopkins. the mayor of greater manchester, and members of the emergency services who have come to manchester's aid in its moment of need. and as i announced last night, the general election campaign has been suspended. i will chair another meeting of cobra later today. at terrible moments like these it is customary for leaders, politicians, and others to condemn the perpetrators and declare the terrorists will not win. but the fact that we have been here before and the fact that we need to say this again does not make it any less true. while we experience the worst of humanity in manchester last night, we often saw the best. the cowardest of the attacker met the bravery of the emergency services and the people of manchester. the attempt to divide us met countless acts of kindness that brought people closer together. and in the days ahead, those must be the things we remember. the images we hold in our minds should not be those of senseless clouter, but the ordinary men and women who put concer

let's speak to clare fallon in greater manchester police headquarters.tinues. correct. it seems clear from what the prime minister had to say the decision to reduce the threat level is as a direct result of the development here in manchester over the past 2a hours. as a result of the intense police activity and the progress officers say they have made with their investigation. what they are also keen to point out is this investigation is not over and it continues. let's hearfrom the assista nt continues. let's hearfrom the assistant commissioner of the metropolitan police. the high pace and rapid progress of this investigation is continuing and there were three more arrests overnight, now 11 men in custody, 17 searches either concluded or continuing on the various addresses, largely in the northwest. we are getting a greater understanding of the preparation of the bomb. there is still much more to do, more arrests and more searches will be made but this clarity and progress has made jtac, the independent body that assesses threats, to judge an attack is

officers from greater manchester police and emergency services are working at the scene, supporting those affected. we are coordinating an operation in the greater manchester police headquarters. an emergency number is available for all those concerned about anyone who may have been in the area. -856-9400. is 0161 we are currently treating this as a terrorist incident, until we have other information. withe working closely national counterterrorism police -- the u.k. intelligence partners. this is a concerning time clearly for everyone. become aing all we can working with local and national agencies to support those affected. as we gather information about ast happened last night -- you will understand we are still receiving information and updates that will provide further details when we have a clearer picture. i want to thank people for their support. our last them to remain vigilant. if they have concerns, please report them to the national antiterrorist hotline. 800-789-0321. 0 it's important here manchester avoid the area around manchester arena, so emergency current services can co

officers from greater manchester police and emergency services are working at the scene, and are supportingtion here at greater manchester police headquarters. an emergency number is available for all those concerned about their loved ones, or anyone who may have been in the area. the number is 0161856 9a00. we are currently treating this as a terrorist incident, until we have further information. we are working closely with national counterterrorism policing network and uk intelligence partners. this is clearly a very concerning time for everyone. we are doing all that we can, working with local and national agencies, to support those affected, as we gather information about what happened last night. as you will understand, we are still receiving information and updates, so we will provide further detail when we have a clearer picture. i want to thank people for their support, and ask them to remain vigilant, and if they have any concerns at all, to report them to the national anti—terrorist hotline. the number is 0800 789 321. it is important also that people here in manchester avoid the

and running soon. >> we certainly haven't seen it here, the casualties will be released by greater manchester police and as you mentioned, manchester arena and the largest indoor arena in europe opened in 1995 and has house to 21,000 people according to his web site and is exceptionally popular sporting and concert venue. ariana grande's record label says everything was okay but obviously the video posted on twitter showed fans screaming and running out of the venue. isabel hodgins was at the concert at manchester arena. she joins us now live on the phone. thank you for talking to us. what a difficult evening for everybody. >> martha: we are going to continue to monitor this. james was here with us this evening on another story pretty is the former director of the cia. thank you very much for being here and for rolling with it in this breaking news story that we have. we did this feel like to you this point? >> first impressions are often wrong when things like this. but it could've been a balloon, which is something that's floated around. to have panic and people killed and others injured based on

unit has said that police have taken hold of a ‘large part‘ of the manchester terror network but that ‘more arrests' are likely. in the last half hour — the chief constable of greaterer have doubled since the terror attack on monday. adding a "very small minority" of people had expressed "hate—filled views". armed police patrol trains for the first time, ahead of the bank holiday weekend — as britain's security risk level remains at critical. the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, says he will change british foreign policy if he becomes prime minister, to try to reduce the risk of terror attacks in the uk. and theresa may urges world leaders at the g7 summit in sicily, to discuss fighting online extremism. those are headlines, time now to look at the latest sports news. good evening. we start with football. manchester city look like they've won the race to sign a midfielder. he has been a target for several big clu bs he has been a target for several big clubs including manchester united, but it's clubs including manchester united, but its expected he will leave the french champions for the etihad in july for a reported fee of £113 million. the signing is expected to be

greater manchester police said they are making good progress. is we are in a critical state of alert and police still need and want to find those people who may have helped the bomb procure the bomb, set up the bomb, delivered the bomb, and until that network of people is found, this critical state of alert, having these hundreds of armed policemen and women on the streets of manchester, soldiers in other cities as well, armed police on public transport, on trains for the first time, there is still a lot of tension here and until that network is found and neutralised we will remain in this position. we have also heard overnight that greater manchester police have restarted their cooperation with american authorities, exchanging some of this very sensitive information they hope might help them achieve a breakthrough in the case. that cooperation had stopped because of excessive lea ks on cooperation had stopped because of excessive leaks on the american side. greater manchester police felt it was actively disturbing and damaging their inquiries. a

greater manchester police are treating this as a terrorists incident until they know otherwise. you are right to say that as of the most recent twitter feed from the police department, 19 people have been confirmed killed. 50 others have been injured. ofphen: there was a report an explosion as concertgoers at this area the -- this arrieta grande a concert. say they heard a loud explosion, expected to be a bomb as authorities are treating this as a possible terrorist incident. it happened at 10:35 p.m. monday night in the u.k., so 3.5 hours ago is when police were called, so witnesses say they were filing out of the manchester arena and this is what one actress who was at the concert, isabel hodgkins, who told sky news that it smelled of burning and there was quite a lot of smoke as we were leaving. we have another statement from the british transport police on their website saying emergency services are at the scene and we are working to establish more information regarding the equation and we will provide further updates as soon as possible. again, police say the explosion happe

it seems that greater manchester police had wa nted that greater manchester police had wanted to keepll have been treated as a major incident and then very quickly that will have been moved up scale toa that will have been moved up scale to a terrorist major incident involving counterterrorism. because of that you don't want to be giving any hint of who you are looking for because otherwise they will be out of the country in no time, hence why they have a golden hour period, the first 211 hours and they are absolutely key to the investigation. that is about finding associates? yes, and house searches, and the element of surprise, seizing hard drives are mobile phones, internet, and if this bomber, and i when say his name, iwon't do that for the people of manchester, —— i won't say his name. he has been trained to a high level and if he has gone to libya in one had military style training —— he will have had military style training. he is a fit young man. extreme measures will have many related his mind, and his actions have led to a lot of evidence along the way and so the police had

i'm ian hopkins, the chief consulate of greater manchester police. i can confirm the details as we currently know them. around 10:33 p.m., we received reports of an explosion at manchester arena in the city center. this was at the conclusion of the ariana grande concert. currently, we have 19 people confirmed to have lost their lives in the explosion, and around 50 casualties that have been treated at six hospitals across greater manchester. my thoughts are very much with those that have been injured and lost their lives and their loved ones at this terrible time. we are doing all that we can to support them. officers from greater manchester police and emergency services are working at the scene and are supporting those affected. we are coordinating the operation here at greater manchester police headquarters. an emergency number is available for all those concerned about their loved ones or anyone who may have been in the area. the number is 0161-856-9400. we are currently treating this as a terrorist incident until we have further information. we ar

then we have an update from greater manchester transport police. manchester transport police.ware of an incident at manchester and arena. they say they have offices at the scene. they say they have offices at the scene. network rail talk again of an incident, unspecified, near the station. they say trains may be delayed and are also talking about lines blocked. it is a very confusing picture that we have from several official sources that there is an incident of some sort going on in the area but we do not know the cause. on social media, there seems to be pictures coming out suggesting there is quite a lot of confusion with inside the arena. definitely. there is a lot of fear, his terrier and panic. whether that is justified, whether that is just loud bangs being heard and people reaching the wrong conclusion, we don't know. —— hysteria. again, we don't know. —— hysteria. again, we don't know. —— hysteria. again, we don't know if it is the case that it was in people ‘s minds, they were fea rful was in people ‘s minds, they were fearful something had happened inside the arena.

greater manchester police say that a number of people have been killed and others injured in an explosion her agent has reported that she is ok. my agent has reported that she is ok. my colleague, andy moore, a u are with me and it was a horrific night for anyone there? yes. and he was an update from the northwest and the liz truss. they are saying on twitter thatjudah liz truss. they are saying on twitter that judah the incident liz truss. they are saying on twitter thatjudah the incident in manchester, please only call them for very serious incidences —— ambulance trust. they don't want to deal with anything unless it is an absolute emergency. it is worth reporting on what manchester police have said in a brief statement. —— they are saying on twitter that you too be. they mention casualties, but also mentioned a case of the bureau been set up. it says there that there was one explosion. someone witnesses have said to. but according to the police, it is a single explosion. we heard from the british transport police, talking about an explosion in the and area, confirming what andy said a

greater manchester police are working with the national counter—terrorism policing network, with interpolplanned mass murder in manchester. 0ur priority, along with the police counter—terrorist network and our security partners, is to continue to establish whether he was acting alone or working as part of a wider network. almost exactly a year ago, police and emergency services in manchester held a training exercise forjust this kind of terrorist incident. for a number of years, the threat level has been set at severe, meaning an attack is highly likely. the prime minister said today that that is now under review. understandably, the city is nervous, people on edge. but there is a determination not to be cowed by terror. "manchester united" is the fitting response to a vicious attack on fair manchester city. mark easton, bbc news, manchester. the spirit of the north alive and well, a lot of resilience onshore. all political campaigning has been postponed and might be so for several days to come but theresa may has been to manchester to meet greater manchester police and hear first hand ho

we have the news briefing from greater manchester police earlier. ty correspondent is following this in london. so many strands to this. initial thought about the police telling us here in manchester that information, materials, they have seized, very significant. and the rest are very significant. and the rest are very significa nt. what is significant. and the rest are very significant. what is your reading of that sort of language? that is encouraging that letters cut to the chase. unless there is some wonderful news that we have not yet been told they have not found bomb yet. any further explosive devices or the person who they think has built the device that killed 22 people in manchester on monday night. that is the key thing. that is why this country is still at critical threat level. as the live they find it and they think they have neutralised the immediate threat we will go back to severe. as long as we are critical it means another terrorist attack could be imminent. it does not mean it is inevitable but it could be. that is the key indica

greater manchester police hope to resume normal intelligence sharing relationship $0011. rom the manchester bombing was lea ked from the manchester bombing was leaked to the us media. president trump is in nato today where he has been meeting donald tusk. the prime minister is expected to raise the issue with him at the summit later. meanwhile... two more men have been arrested in connection with the manchester bombing. one was detained following searches of an address in the withington area of the city, while another was arrested in a part of greater manchester that was not disclosed. the new arrests bring the total number of people being held to eight. the suspect‘s older brother is among those in custody in manchester. two other members of his family have have been detained in libya. ariana grande's concerts at london's o2 arena on thursday and friday have been cancelled following the manchester suicide bombing. a statement said the us singer's dangerous woman tour would be suspended until 7th june. it added that grande wanted to pay "proper respects to those lost". gra

police. we will bring you the latest from here in manchester on the bbc news at one. this has been the most horrific incident we have ever faced here in greaterester and one that we all hoped we would never see. stay with bbc news for all the developments from manchester, where police patrols have been stepped up — including the deployment of armed officers. good afternoon and welcome to the bbc news at one from manchester, which has experienced the uk's worst terrorist attack since the july 7th attacks in london in 2005. 22 people have been killed, and 59 injured — they are now being treated at a number of hospitals in and around manchester. they were among thousands of people who had come to the concert of ariana grande and at the concert of ariana grande and at the end of the concert at around 10.30 last night, the explosion went off. let's talk you through what we know so far. greater manchester police were called to the arena at 10.33pm. the prime minister called the attack on fans at an ariana grande concert here an act of "appalling, sickening cowardice". the explosion happened in the arena's foyer last night, as people began streaming

in their latest update, greater manchester police say that they have made significant arrests and have items of great importance. since the suicide bombing on monday night, the police and security services have been trying to establish whether salman abedi was part of a wider terror network. i'm going to have to move you back, please. move back. this evening the police hunt for salman abedi's bomb factory took a new turn, the search of a house in wigan suddenly escalated with the discovery of suspicious items and the bomb squad were called to the scene. local families were evacuated as a robot, often used to defuse roadside bombs in war zones, was deployed on a residential home in greater manchester. i share a wall with the guy who was arrested. if there's something inside and my things get destroyed... you're literally in the neighbouring room? yeah. i didn't expect that something of this sort could happen so close to us. it is really shocking. police have described their investigation as fast—moving. this morning, as the country stood in silence, armed police officers were shouting a

in all 13 people have been arrested according to greater manchester police. 00 people are involved in this police investigation. in terms of the scale of the evidence, the amount of evidence police have to work their way through, they got more than 200 digital exhibits, as they call it. that means things like mobile phones and computers. i have almost 13,000 hours of cctv images. every single seconds of that video will need to be gone through to check whether there is anything significant that can be seen. late last night, police released a picture of salman abedi, the man who blew themselves up at manchester arena on monday night, killing 22 people. the point behind releasing images to show people what he looks like on the evening of the attack, in order to try and get someone to recall something that maybe they haven't recalled before, to let people know what he looks like in the hope that it will mean some kind of recollection from people, that they might have seen him somewhere that may be significant to the police. since yesterday's decision to downgrade

let me interrupt you as we go to greater manchester police. am ian hopkins, lam ian hopkins, the i am ian hopkins, the chief constable of greater manchester police and i would like to give you an operational update in relation to the ongoing incident in manchester. let me start by once again expressing my sincere condolences to the families of those that have lost their loved ones in this atrocity. we now have a team of specifically trained family liaison officers working with those families and supporting them. there has been much regulation in the media and on social media as to the names of some of the victims. whilst i accept that some of this is an inevitability, i would ask that people allow us to work with the coroner and to work with those families and ensure that they are properly supported before we release the names of those that have sadly lost their lives. as you would expect, the police response across greater manchester has been significant today as we help people to continue to go about their daily business and lead their lives

our home affairs correspondent, daniel sandford, is outside greater manchester police headquarters.arly feel they are making progress in this investigation? i thought the police sounded confident, or am i overstating it. for the first 36 hours it felt as if the police were still stuck in the long grass and didn't have much idea what happened. in the last 48—hours i think that landscape has changed and they feel they have got a better idea of what happened. 0ne and they feel they have got a better idea of what happened. one source said they had made significant head way and know when he came into the country and where he spent the weekend. they have got an idea about his network and who night have done what he was going to do. that is all quite important. they found significant items at some of the flats that they have searched. that is all very positive on the investigation of this particular attack. i think the negative is that there is a fear they don't really have any idea of the bigger picture. there is no sign of the threat level being reduced from critical. some talked about a

later today i will travel to manchester to meet the chief constable of greater manchester police, ian hawkins, andy burnham and members of the emergency services who have come to manchester in need. as i announced last night, the general election campaign has been suspended. i will chair another meeting later today. at terrible moments like these, it is customary for leaders, politicians and others to declare that the terrorists will not win. but the fact between us being here before and the fact that we need to say this again does not make it any less true. so often while we experience the worst of in humanity in manchester last night, we also saw the best. the cowardess of the attacker met the bravery of the emergency services and the people of manchester. the attempt to divide us meant countless acts of kindness that brought people closer together and in the days ahead, those must be the things we remember. the images we hold in our mind should not be those of senseless slaughter but of the ordinary men and women who put concerns about their own safety to one side and rushed to hel

the chief constable of greater manchester police, ian hopkins, came here yesterday evening to reassureof manchester that police are doing all they can to make them safe. that is important this weekend because there are a number of big events happening in manchester. the great city games, which started yesterday evening. the great manchester run, which is tomorrow. 30,000 runners registered for that. and the charlatans —— the cha rlata ns for that. and the charlatans —— the charlatans playing at the emirates old trafford tonight. a lot of big events. police geared up for it. we have seen a big police presence in manchester this morning. i'm joined bya manchester this morning. i'm joined by a couple of guests who have been passing by to pay tribute. susie and her daughter, camille. you have come here, a terrible feeling of sadness but defiance from the people of manchester? completely. it is hard not to meet somebody who has been affected because they know a victim or have a child affected. we live next door to somebody who lives as mac quirk said stepping hill. i dread to think some of

david anthony was head of specialist operations with greater manchester police for several years. be to gather as much information about the bomber as possible and as quickly as possible. is he part of a network? is he part of a network within this country, within the manchester area ? further wide in the uk? or is he internationally sponsored? and so the morning saw extensive police activity in the suburbs of manchester. a man of 23 arrested by armed police on a supermarket car park in chorlton at around 11. they dragged someone on the floor, on the pavement, across the road. and i've seen all of them screaming, shouting and i've seen a few of them kicking this man on the floor and they cuffed him. soon afterwards, more raids in the whalley range and fallowfield areas. at lunchtime, the prime minister arrived at gmp headquarters for a briefing from chef constable ian hopkins and his senior officers. then late this afternoon, the name of the bomber was finally confirmed. i can confirm that the man suspected of carrying out last night's atrocity is 22—year—old salman abedi. however

yes, greater manchester police say they are making significant progress. sted overnight in an operation in the mosque site area of manchester, which has brought the number of people in custody to the total of eight —— moss side. as we speak there is a police operation in st helens, towards merseyside. so clearly the operation is ongoing. police say they are making progress but we are still at the highest level of alert, critical. there are still hundreds or thousands of armed officers in the streets, in places we have not seen armed police before, like trains. and that begs the question that they have still not quite got where they want to get when it comes to investigating how the bomber may be got his bomb. what about those people who surrounded him, who helped him get that warm, which he set off with such a devastating effect on monday night. there are still a lot of work to do, despite the progress that police say they are making. greater manchester police also said they had resumed their corporation and sharing sensitive information with intelligence a

we are waiting for a news conference by greater manchester police.ut half an hour ago. it has not happened yet. we will bring you that as soon as it starts. andy moore is still with us. about the explosion itself, there we re about the explosion itself, there were so many about the explosion itself, there were so many theories about what it might have been, other than the device. those were gradually discounted through the course of the hours. what do we actually know was behind it? well, according to british transport police, the source of the explosion, the seat of the explosion, was the foyer. and according to manchester arena, they say the explosion was in a public space outside the venue. and we have also heard from several eyewitnesses that they were blown actually inside the arena towards the arena by the force of the explosion outside. so it seems clear the explosion was not in the main auditorium. it was on the perimeter of the arena, either in the foyer or near the foyer or outside the building. police sources are talking about a terrorist