Were a 'band of sons' behind Manchester attack...? Bomber was part of gang of disaffected young men who fought alongside their fathers in Libya 'before switching their allegiance to ISIS'
- Manchester bomber linked to group of young men who fought in Libya with their fathers then switched to ISIS
- Salman Abedi travelled to Libya during the 2011 Arab Spring alongside his father to topple Muammar Gaddafi
- Father Ramadan was one of men from the North West in Libya who called themselves the Manchester Fighters
- Counter terrorism raids yesterday were reportedly connected to the gang of Libyan extremists after a tip-off
- Terror police have raided barber shop in Moss Side, Manchester, owned by Salamn's cousin Abdallah Forjani
- Eight men arrested in connection with attack are suspected of terror offences and aged between 18 and 38
- Officers have also carried out separate searches in St Helens, Merseyside, and Moss Side in Manchester
- Fears are now growing that a second bomb, which was made by Abedi, could be in the hands of an extremist
- Greater Manchester Police confirmed this morning that a boy aged just 16 was one of the 10 people arrested
- ISIS, who claimed responsibility, released a statement about the incident and said it was a 'blessed attack'
The Manchester suicide bomber was linked to a group of disaffected young men who went to fight in Libya with their fathers before switching allegiance to ISIS, it has been revealed.
Salaman Abedi is understood to have been in Libya at the same time as some of the youths, all around the same age, who later faced terrorism charges.
The bomber travelled to fight on the frontline during the 2011 Arab Spring to topple dictator Muammar Gaddafi alongside his father Ramadan Abedi, a 51-year-old airport security guard with links to Al Qaeda.
Ramadan was one of the men from the North West in Libya who called themselves the 'Manchester Fighters'.
It is thought that one of the counter terrorism raids launched yesterday was connected to the gang of Libyan extremists after police received a tip-off.
Greater Manchester police have been told that Abedi was friends with at least two members of the group, who are all linked to Manchester.
The younger generation are understood to have switched allegiance to Isis after travelling to Libya with their fathers, all members of the militant Libyan Islamic Fighting Group [LIFG], which helped to overthrow the Gaddafi regime. The group is banned in Britain.
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Terror arrests: Manchester suicide bomber Salman Abedi's family tree shows his father Ramadan and two brothers Hashem and Ismail have all been arrested. The bomber's cousin Abdalla Forjani was held on Wednesday in Moss Side, Manchester
On the frontline: Salman, pictured, was linked to a group of disaffected young men who went to fight in Libya with their fathers before switching allegiance to ISIS . He fought alongside his father Ramandan during the 2011 Arab Spring
Links to Al-Qaeda: Ramadan, pictured, 51, an airport security worker, was one of the men from the North West in Libya who called themselves the ' Manchester Fighters'. He has been arrested in Tripoli and MI6 officers are in Libya to speak to him
Held: Salman's younger brother Hashem, 20, pictured, has also been arrested in Tripoli. He has reportedly told investigators in Libya that he was 'aware of all the details' of his plans
Raids: Greater Manchester Police today confirmed that they had arrested 10 people in connection with the incident across Manchester and parts of the North West of England. A 16-year-old boy and a woman, 34, have been released without charged
One of the men, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was convicted three years ago of helping jihadist recruits to travel to Syria and Iraq to fight for the terrorists.
He had dropped out of college in Manchester and joined the western-backed uprising in Libya in 2011 at the age of 17.
The second man was charged with terrorism offences and spent time in prison on remand before the prosecution offered no evidence. His father was sanctioned by the US more than a decade ago for financing the LIFG.
The revelation provides a further insight into Abedi's path to radicalisation before he blew himself up on Monday night. Investigators are trying to discover what ties the bomber established with Isis extremists in Libya and Britain as he travelled between both countries.
A friend of Salman's father, Akram Ramadan, 49, said: 'A lot of dads went to fight Gaddafi in 2011.
'We went and fought together, we were really known, our unit fighting in the hills was called the Manchester Fighters.'
It comes as eight men arrested in connection with the Manchester bomb attack are all suspected of terror offences and are aged between 18 and 38, Greater Manchester Police said. A 16-year-old boy has been released without charge.
A barber's shop belonging to the killer's cousin, 24-year-old Abdallah Forjani, was raided in Moss Side, Manchester, as part of the ongoing investigation this morning.
He was arrested in Fallowfield on Wednesday and the barber shop, on a parade of shops on a busy main road, immediately closed.
It remains shut following the early morning raid which local businesses and neighbours did not witness. A police van remains stationed outside.