British police make fresh arrest over Manchester bombing

A group of police officers stand next to cordon in Rusholme, Manchester, Britain, on June 2, 2017. PHOTO: REUTERS

LONDON (AFP) - British police said on Saturday (June 3) they had arrested a new suspect in the May 22 terrorist attack at a pop concert in Manchester, bringing to 11 the number of men in custody.

Authorities arrested a 24-year-old man last night in Rusholme, an inner-city area of Manchester, it said in a statement.

"He was arrested on suspicion of offences contrary to the terrorism act," police added.

Twenty-two people, including seven children, were killed in the attack at a concert by US singer Ariana Grande.

The new arrest follows the evacuation on Friday afternoon of an area in Rusholme after police identified a car they said "may be significant to the investigation".

Seventeen arrests have so far been made in the UK and six people have since been released without charge.

Bomber Salman Abedi's father and brother are also in detention in Libya, where authorities say the two brothers were both part of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group which claimed responsibility for the attack.

Ariana Grande returned to Manchester on Friday ahead of a charity concert to honour the victims of the attack.

The singer visited some of her injured fans still being treated at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital.

"This means more to us than all the amazing things people have done," Peter Mann, whose daughter Jaden was injured in the attack, told the BBC after Grande's visit.

Proceeds from 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 (2.15am Singapore) 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.

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