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Manchester attack: Police arrest 24-year-old man on suspicion of terror offences

Arrest comes after officers seize car they say could provide 'significant development'

Saturday 03 June 2017 10:30 BST

Police walk up the street towards Devell House, in Rusholme, Manchester, on 2 June (Reuters)

Police investigating the Manchester bombing have arrested a 24-year-old man.

Greater Manchester Police said the man was arrested on Friday night in Rusholme on suspicion of offences contrary to the terrorism act.

He is the 17th person to be arrested in connection with the May 22 attack at the Manchester Arena.

Six people have since been released without charge.

Eleven men, aged between 18 and 44, are now in custody on suspicion of terrorism offences in connection with the attack.

The arrest came after officers seized a car which they said could provide a "significant development" in the investigation.

Residents near Devell House in Rusholme were evacuated and the Royal Logistics Corp bomb disposal team was called out on Friday after the white Nissan Micra was discovered.

A 100m cordon was set up in the area near Banff Road, where police say suicide bomber Salman Abedi had visited in the days leading up to the attack.

CCTV images have been released showing Abedi hauling a blue suitcase in the days leading up to the bombing.

US pop star Ariana Grande visited young fans injured in the suicide bombing on Friday night.

The singer shared a picture of herself and a youngster in her hospital bed with her 107 million Instagram followers, captioned simply with a heart.

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People running down stairs as they attempt to exit the Manchester Arena after a blast, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester

Twitter/@ZACH_BRUCE/ via REUTERS

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Helpers attend to people inside the Manchester Arena after a suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the end of an Ariana Grande concert, killing 22 people

PA wire

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Armed officers guard outside a hotel near the Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion, in Manchester, Britain

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Police officers are seen outside the Manchester Arena, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester, northern England

Reuters

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Police and fans close to the Manchester Arena, after reports of an explosion

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There have been reports of explosions at Manchester Arena where Ariana Grande had performed

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Police deploy at scene of explosion in Manchester, England, at a concert in Manchester Arena

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Police stand by a cordoned off street close to the Manchester Arena

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Police deploy at scene of explosion in Manchester, England

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Police deploy at scene of a reported explosion during a concert in Manchester, England, on May 23, 2017. British police said early May 23 there were "a number of confirmed fatalities" after reports of at least one explosion during a pop concert by US singer Ariana Grande. Ambulances were seen rushing to the Manchester Arena venue and police added in a statement that people should avoid the area

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An ambulance drives away from the Manchester Arena, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester

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Police escort members of the public from the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England.

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A woman sits in the street in a blanket near the Manchester Arena as police guard the area following reports of an explosion, in Manchester, Britain

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Two women wrapped in thermal blankets stand near the Manchester Arena, where US singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester

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A Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) bomb disposal robot is unloaded outside the Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion, in Manchester. At least 19 people have been confirmed dead and others 50 were injured, authorities said. It is being treated as a terrorist incident until police know otherwise

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Manchester explosion in pictures

A Royal Logistic Corps (RLC) bomb disposal robot is unloaded outside the Manchester Arena following reports of an explosion, in Manchester

EPA

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Members of the public receive treatment from emergency service staff at Victoria Railway Station close to the Manchester Arena on May 23, 2017 in Manchester, England. There have been reports of explosions at Manchester Arena where Ariana Grande had performed this evening. Greater Manchester Police have have confirmed there are fatalities and warned people to stay away from the area

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Armed police after a suspected terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena at the end of a concert by US star Ariana Grande left 19 dead

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Emergency services arrive close to the Manchester Arena in Manchester

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An amoured police vehicle patrols near Manchester Arena in Manchester

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A man carries a young girl on his shoulders near Victoria station in Manchester

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Police officers stand at the Miller Street and Corporation Street Crossroads, in front of the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England

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Police block a road near to the Manchester Arena in central Manchester, England

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Armed police patrol near Victoria station in Manchester, northwest England. Twenty two people have been killed and dozens injured after a suspected suicide bomber targeted fans leaving a concert of US singer Ariana Grande in Manchester

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Police forensic officers leave the Manchester Arena as they investigate the scene of an explosion in Manchester

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A forensic officer collects evidence on a walkway between Victoria station and Manchester Arena following a deadly terror attack in Manchester,

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A woman and a young girl wearing a t-shirt of US singer Ariana Grande talks to police near Manchester Arena following a deadly terror attack in Manchester,

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Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and Manchester City Council Leader Sir Richard Leese speak to the media outside Manchester Town Hall after a suicide bomber killed 22 people, including children, as an explosion tore through fans leaving a pop concert in Manchester

Dave Higgens/PA Wire

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The media gather behind a police cordon in Manchester

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Flowers left close to the Manchester Arena, the morning after a suicide bomber killed 22 people, including children, as an explosion tore through fans leaving a pop concert in Manchester

Danny Lawson/PA Wire

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Ariana Grande concert attendees Karen Moore and her daughter Molly Steed, aged 14, from Derby, leave the Park Inn where they were given refuge after last night's explosion at Manchester Arena

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Signs saying 'We love Manchester' are displayed in a window in Manchester, England

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Other pictures from her visit to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital show her hugging youngsters on the ward, with one father left in tears by the visit.

It comes ahead of Grande's all-star benefit concert on Sunday, less than two weeks after the bombing at her gig in Manchester which killed 22 people and injured dozens more.

Peter Mann, whose daughter Jaden was injured in the attack, posted several photos of Grande and the youngster on Facebook.

He wrote: "This means more to us than all the amazing things people have done this week. when your daughter asks after her 2nd operation is ariana ok?

"So happy she came i could burst! Never seen jaden so happy! even cried again myself."

The singer was also photographed with nurses at the hospital and dozens of other patients including 14-year-old Evie Mills, who was visited by the Queen in the same hospital days after the attack.

Tasha Hough shared two more photos of Jaden, adding: "I think she's a little star struck. No1 deserves this more than her. That smile! And what a lovely girl Ariana Grande is."

Grande arrived back in the UK on Friday morning ahead of the One Love Manchester concert on Sunday.

Musicians including Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Coldplay, Take That and Miley Cyrus will join her for the event, which is raising funds for victims and their families.

The Duke of Cambridge also visited Manchester on Friday and met police officers and volunteers before paying a visit to Manchester Royal Infirmary to meet some of those injured in the attack.