22-year-old Salman Abedi as prime suspect in Manchester bombing

Hours after the heinous attack at Manchester Arena that killed 22 and injured dozens, the British Police has identified 22-year-old Salman Abedi as the prime suspect in the dastardly attack.

 Salman Abedi

According to reports, the suspect, born in 1994, was born to Libyan refugees who had come to UK in order to escape the Gaddafi regime.

Earlier in the day, the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group had claimed the responsibility for the Manchester bombing, and said that a “soldier of the Caliphate” carried out the blast that tore through a crowd of fans at an Ariana Grande pop concert. A US terror-tracking organisation had confirmed the news.

SITE Intelligence’s director Rita Katz tweeted a message posted by the IS to Telegram claiming it carried out Monday night’s bombing with an explosive device planted at the concert and warned of “more severe” attacks.

“With Allah’s Grace and support, a soldier of the Caliphate managed to place explosive devices in the midst of the gatherings of the crusaders in the British city of Manchester,” read the claim of responsibility, reported Italian news service AKI.

However, following the attack, Prime Minister Theresa May had chaired an emergency Cobra committee meeting and had also said that even though the police had identified the attacker, it was too early in the investigation to release his name.