Salman Abedi: Father of Manchester bomber 'arrested in Libya'

Arrest came shortly after his younger son Hashem was picked up by authorities in Tripoli

Flowers are attached to a railing close to Victoria Railway Station in Manchester (AP)

The father of Manchester bomber Salman Abedi has reportedly been arrested in Libya.

Ramadan Abedi was being interviewed by a TV crew in the country's capital Tripoli, when he was taken by masked gunmen, eyewitnesses told ITV News. His son and Salman's brother, Hashem Abedi, was also arrested in Libya by local security forces.

They were taken to unknown locations.

It is thought that Hashem was arrested by members of Rada — a special operations military police investigations and operations unit formed in Tripoli to fill the political and security vacuum left in the city after the downfall of the country's former leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

It is unclear whether his father was taken by the same unit.

Mr Abedi Sr had earlier been participating in interviews with journalists over the phone.

He told the Associated Press that he believed his son was innocent of the attack at Manchester Arena after an Ariana Grande concert, which claimed the lives of 22 people and injured 64.

"We don't believe in killing innocents. This is not us," Mr Abedi said.

"We aren't the ones who blow up ourselves among innocents," he said. "We go to mosques. We recite Koran, but not that."

He added that he spoke to his son less than a week ago and that he sounded "normal".