UK terror threat level raised to 'critical' after Manchester bomb

Britain is now at its highest level of terror alert following the attack on the Manchester Arena on Monday night, suggesting further attacks may be imminent.

The threat level has been increased to 'critical', with soldiers being deployed across several key landmarks amidst fears that the attacker was not acting alone.

Salman Abedi killed 22 people and injured 64 more in a suicide bomb attack which took place at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in the city on Monday. UK police confirmed on Wednesday that a further three men have been arrested in connection with the barbaric attack, during which several of the victims were children.

Home secretary Amber Rudd told the BBC that the attacker was known to UK security services, and that he had recently returned home to the UK from Libya.

"The intelligence services know a lot of people, and I'm sure we will find out more what level they knew about him in due course, but at the moment all they have confirmed is that they did know about him. And as I say, we will find out more when the operation is complete," Rudd said.

US LEAKS

Meanwhile, Rudd criticised US officials for leaking details about the investigation into the attack. Abedi was identified on several media outlets in the country before it had been officially released by police in the UK.

“The British police have been very clear that they want to control the flow of information in order to protect operational integrity, the element of surprise, so it is irritating if it gets released from other sources,” she said.

Further details have emerged about Abedi, who was born and raised in the UK but of Libyan descent. He had studied at the University of Salford in Manchester.