MANCHESTER – British authorities have identified the suicide bomb suspect as Salman Abedi, according to reports from US authorities.
Chief Constable Ian Hopkins told journalists: “I can confirm that the man suspected of carrying out last night’s atrocity has been named as 22-year-old Salman Abedi. However, he has not yet been formally identified and I wouldn’t wish, therefore, to comment further.
“The priority remains to establish whether he was acting alone or as part of a network.”
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The attack on Monday night at Manchester Arena, which killed 22 people, including children, was carried out by a suicide bomber who died at the scene. Some 59 people were also injured in the blast.
There has been no public or official confirmation of the attacker’s identity from the British authorities themselves, however.
Prime Minister Theresa May said earlier on Tuesday that authorities believed they knew the identity of the bomber. Islamic State has claimed one of its members was responsible, but those reports have not been verified.
British police asked the media to hold off on publishing the attacker’s name. Several American news organizations including CBS and NBC ignored the request, however, citing anonymous US officials who leaked the details from their conversations with British authorities.
