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Updated at 12.10pm
GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE (GMP) are evacuating the area around a car which they believe to “significant” to the investigation of last week’s terrorist attack.
Police investigating the attack on the Manchester Arena last Monday in which 22 people were killed said they had discovered a car at Devell House, not far from Banff Road in Manchester.
Officers are currently at the location and assessing the car.
There is a 100m cordon in place around the area and people are being advised to avoid there.
Police are evacuating the entire location and have asked the public for their cooperation and understanding.
“We are working closely with our partners to ensure public safety and to relocate people while we carry out this precautionary measure to ensure everyone’s safety,” police said.
Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson said that the discovery of the car was “potentially a significant development in the investigation”.
“We are very interested in anything people can tell us about the movements of this car, and who was in it, over the past months,” said Jackson.
We are also interested in any information about who may have had access to the car or who may have gone to and from it.
CCTV
Earlier, police released new CCTV images of suicide bomber Salman Abedi in a bid to gain more information from the public about his movements before he detonated the bomb at the Ariana Grande concert.
Police are still unsure how and when he acquired the parts to make the bomb, and do not yet know why Abedi went to an address at the Banff Road area in Rusholme, or who he spoke to there.
By releasing images of Abedi at other locations, police hope to jog the memory of someone who may have information that could help them with their investigation.
Jackson said that GMP continued to make “significant progress” in the investigation.
He said: “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.
We have had police officers conducting house to house enquiries but we are still not satisfied why Abedi went [to Banff Road] and its vital we understand exactly where he went there and who he spoke to in these final days before the attack.
Jackson urged anyone who may have called them before to call again. “We need your help as we piece together what happened in the lead up to the attack and if Abedi was helped by anyone,” he said.
He added that any information someone has “may be insignificant” but it could be essential to the case.
Benefit concert
Meanwhile, a star-studded lineup will be performing on Sunday at the city’s Old Trafford cricket ground to raise money for families of the victims of the attack.
The “One Love Manchester” gig at the city’s has already attracted acts including Katy Perry, Coldplay, Justin Bieber, Pharrell Williams, Miley Cyrus, Take That, Usher, Little Mix and One Direction’s Niall Horan.
Last night, Robbie Williams and the Black Eyed Peas were announced as also booked for the concert.
Proceeds from the Sunday’s concert will go to a fund set up to help the victims’ families.
Performances at the 50,000 capacity stadium will kick off at 7.15pm and will be streamed online and broadcast by the BBC.
Tickets went on sale Thursday, selling out within six minutes, with website Ticketmaster reporting “incredible” demand.
Organisers have announced that anyone present at last month’s deadly concert will be able to attend the tribute concert for free.
With reporting from AFP and Cormac Fitzgerald
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Ok the Manchester bombing was an atrocious act of barbarism and is a tragedy for the families – but this meretricious outpouring of ‘grief’ from popstars reeks of self indulgance. There were over 1100 civilians killed in Iraq in May, hundreds civilians killed in Syria and refugees dying in crossing over the Mediterranaean – where is there concert? where is the outpouring of grief among the popstars there? As an aside The vast majority of those killed in May were of the islamic faith.
@Old Gabby Johnson: theres a chance that some of those killed or injured in manchester were of islamic faith. certainly has a massive impact on that community in the north east of england.
and would you really hold a benefit concert in downtown Aleppo? or Baghdad?
and you should change your avatar to old crabby johnson.
@Old Gabby Johnson:
Quite simply, they’re not “our” people. They live abroad in places we’ll never get to see or experience, they (mostly) have different colour skin & don’t carry iPhones or attend “pop” gigs.
They’re not “first world” people.
Despite what we’re told, there are different values put on lives. Every child is not equal.
It shouldn’t be that way, but it is.
@Old Gabby Johnson: do you not realise that the followers of Islam disapprove of Western music? Maybe they would donate the proceeds of the Janadriyadh!!!
@OU812: the irony is its their natural resource that made us a first world nation.
@Government Sachs: Europe has few natural resources, we’ve spent the last few hundred years taking them from others, yes, that’s what made us first world nations. Good comment. Just like why Ireland was so poor, because the English took most of the wealth. But people will believe it’s all from our higher values and endeavor. Islam has only become the bogeyman since the fall of communism.
@Neil Mcdonough: *since they started beheading and blowing people up.
@George Roche: Serious intellectual effort you put into that comment George, bravo, there must be smoke coming out of your ears . . .
@Old Gabby Johnson: Because in the M.E , no one want’s to push the ( open borders , we can all get along drivel ) that’s pushed every time there’s a bomb in the west .
Maybe we could have organised a concert for peace in the middle east , with catchy song slogans like , please Israel , we have no more land to give , or , Please Iran , don/t wipe us from the face of the Earth .
@Old Gabby Johnson: And gabby the vast majority of those doing the killing are muslim
If they can’t sort their own stuff out at home , what good is it importing it into Europe .
@Old Gabby Johnson: always one like you… Always, get a life Mr
@Old Gabby Johnson: Their
@Living The Laws: ”theres a chance that some of those killed or injured in manchester were of islamic faith.”
I hate to burst your bubble but , we know for sure one of them was a muslim .
@Ken Hayden:
I cant believe you burst his bubble butt
@Neil Mcdonough: who’s this ‘we’ business? We’re not responsible for crimes our ancesters committed. Besides, most societies preyed on each other at one time or another in the past, whether it was Barbary pirates abducting people from Balimore for the slave trade or black Africans trafficking each other for same. It was certian values – innovation, political organisation – that simply made Europeans better at it. These days it’s brain power that is the key to success in the modern world, which is why Israel with few natural resources, is much more successful than the KSA which does.
It was a bomb at a concert, a benefit concert makes sense. If it was a bomb at a football match, a charity football match might make sense. The people of Iraqi and Syria will have to hold their own ceremonies/remembrances when their wars are over. (It’s up to us to march against European interference/involvement in these countries. Everything else is nothing to do with us.)
@Old Gabby Johnson: The reason pop stars are coming together for the concert is because it was an attack on mostly young girls expressing their freedoms . Freedom to go to a music concert. It was an attempt to stifle those freedoms and live music. As mush as you would like to drag other things into it it’s actually not about them. This is a show of defiance !!! The freedoms won’t be quashed by terrorists seeking to force their will by death and injury. Also stars do donate to refugee campaigns all the time. You are just stirring and deflecting from a horrible attack on young girls and children .
Is there a “concert for Diana” this year ?
@Thinck: Glad you liked it, I seen it before I pressed send , but thought , I need to lighten up anyway .
Sad thing is that them scuumy cauntz will probably attack that concert too
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