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JEDDAH: The suicide bomber who killed 22 people at a concert in the British city of Manchester on Monday had “likely” been to Syria, French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said Wednesday.
He told BFM TV that British intelligence services had informed their French counterparts that 22-year-old Salman Abedi, who was of Libyan origin, “grew up in Britain and then suddenly, after a trip to Libya and then likely to Syria, became radicalized and decided to carry out this attack.”
Collomb said it was “possible” that Abedi had had assistance from other people, adding: “In any case, the links with Daesh are proven.”
Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack at the concert by US pop star Ariana Grande in which many children were killed.
The French minister, who took office only last week, added: “At the moment, we know only what British investigators have told us.”
Baker Atyani, a veteran journalist with two decades of covering militant groups, told Arab News on Wednesday that there was no doubt that the attack was carried out by Daesh.
"They officially claimed responsibility for the Manchester suicide attack but did not name the man who carried out the attack," he said.
Atyani said the attack was aimed at easing the pressure on Daesh in Syria and Iraq. "They want to open new fronts so that the attention of the international coalition that is fighting them in Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria is diverted," he said.
He said the Daesh strategy was pretty clear from two or three videos that were released last month — both coming from Raqqa.
"In those videos, foreign fighters, especially from Europe including Britain, are seen calling on their supporters and followers in the West to carry out lone-wolf attacks," said Atyani.
“They are seen urging their followers and sympathizers to use whatever means are available in order to carry out terror attacks. They are essentially asking their supporters to get the anti-Daesh forces busy on other fronts and to open new theaters of conflict.”
Atyani said the Manchester attack revealed a serious security lapse on the part of British authorities.
“The main question that British authorities need to answer is this: How was the suicide bomber able to bring the explosives that he used in his suicide belt?
“The use of explosives indicates that he was not alone and that this was part of a large cell,” he said. “Because somebody brought the material in and someone else prepared the bomb for him.”
“Yes, the attacker came from Manchester. We have heard that his family lived in Manchester so he was familiar with the topography of the city. He knew the place but the real question is: Where did the explosives come from?”
Atyani said even if the man had not been allowed into the arena where the concert was taking place, he would have blown himself up somewhere else.
“Busting the network of terrorists is important because only this will show how Daesh cells are operating. How are they operating in the West? Where are they bringing these kinds of explosives from?” he asked, adding. “The reports indicate it was a very sophisticated bomb.”
He said making or assembling the bomb itself was not difficult. “It is easy assembling the bomb but it is not easy to buy the material,” he said.
He said the material was surely procured from outside the UK. “The material must have been brought from somewhere in Europe. The bomb was not made locally,” he said.
Atyani said such attacks would continue. “Whenever they find an opportunity, they will strike,” he said.
According to him, hitting Daesh in Raqqa is not helping. “They are in Syria and Iraq. You know where they are. They are organized and structured. When they lose territory, they will disperse just as Al-Qaeda did in the past.”
“Some of them will return to their original countries; some of them will stay in Syria and some of them will be killed. Some of them will be arrested but the rest will regroup and try to strike wherever they can,” said Atyani.
He sees no end to the cycle of violence “unless we address the reasons and causes for the violence,” he said.
On Wednesday, British security forces raided an apartment in central Manchester as they investigated a network of people allegedly behind the concert bombing. Hundreds of soldiers were sent to secure key sites across the country, including Buckingham Palace and Parliament.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said Abedi, “likely” did not act alone.
Abedi, British citizen born to Libyan parents grew up around Manchester; he died in the attack.
In Libya, authorities arrested Abedi’s father and a younger brother. The anti-terror force that took the brother, 18-year-old Hashim, into custody said he had confessed that both he and his brother were a part of Daesh and that he, Hashim Abedi, had been aware of the details of the attack.
The father, Ramadan Abedi, denied his son’s involvement in an interview with The Associated Press earlier Wednesday, saying “We don’t believe in killing innocents.”
Another man taken into custody Tuesday in Manchester was identified by Abedi’s father as another son, 23-year-old Ismail.
— With input from AP