Manchester attacker Salman Abedi was the child of Libyan refugees to the United Kingdom, The Telegraph reports.
Abedi’s parents reportedly came to the U.K. to escape Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi’s regime in the late 1980s. He was reportedly born in Manchester in 1994 and was a known quantity to British security services. He is thought to have at least three siblings.
Abedi killed 22 and injured more than 50 in a Monday night suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena. His victims were largely composed of women and children, including an eight-year-old child. Authorities are working to determine to what extent outside groups and individuals supported Abedi in his plot. British media reports a 23-year-old male was arrested in connection with the attack, but he has not been identified.
U.S.-based intelligence advisory firm the Soufan Group noted Tuesday it is likely the attacker had “some level of experience or skill,” based on his ability assemble such a lethal suicide vest.
The Islamic State’s media arm officially claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing and called Abedi a “soldier of the caliphate” but did not use his name. ISIS has a large and enduring presence in Libya, where it held the city of Sirte for nearly a year. The Libyan government retook the city with the assistance of U.S. airstrikes.
U.S. intelligence officials believed in 2016 that ISIS had nearly 7000 fighters in Libya.
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