23/05/2017 Outside Source

Hello, I'm Ros Atkins, this is Outside Source.

We begin in Manchester where 22 people were killed in last

Thousands were inside the UK's biggest indoor concert venue

The youngest victim was just eight years old.

There were drips of blood on the floor leading out of the main

I'm Christian Fraser live in Albert Square

Hundreds of people have taken part in a vigil here -

to mourn the victims of last night's suicide bomb attack

The Islamic State group has published a statement on social

media saying one of its supporters carried out the attack.

I can confirm that the man suspected of carrying out last night's

atrocity is 22-year-old Salman Abedi.

The priority now for investigators - to establish whether or not

We'll be live in Manchester with all the latest details.

As you would expect we will spend the vast majority of today's

programme focused on the Manchester attack.

An Ariana Grande concert had just finished -

and fans were leaving the venue when a suicide bomber detonated

The attacker has been named as 22-year-old Salman Abedi.

22 people were killed and 59 were injured.

For more, let's bring in Christian who is live in Manchester, tell us

more about where you are? I am in Albert Square, we have had a fairly

poignant memorial service this evening. People coming together,

hundreds of people, lots of dignitaries from Manchester, the new

mayor Andy Burn alongside the Home Secretary and Amber Rudd. People

from the Muslim community intent on showing their solidarity, it can be

on occasions like this there are divisions within communities but the

Muslim people here that we have been speaking to our intent on showing

there is just one voice. We have seen some of that resilience tonight

in Albert Square. I was thinking it would have been about this time last

night that the show would have been well underway, 21,000 people packed

into the arena. It was a sell-out, many of them had had tickets for

weeks and months, looking forward to it, and we all know what happened at

the end of those concerts, everyone excited and happy and in high

spirits. But as they started to make their way out of the conservator

that is when the evening was turned on its head because Salman Abedi, 22

years old, born in Manchester, a former Manchester United supporter,

he went into the area you would leave the concert hall on your way

to the Victoria Station and put himself in a position where he would

cause maximum damage and maximum number of deaths. What has chilled

people here today is that he did it knowing full well many of his

victims would have been young people.

Here's what we know about the sequence of events.

Police were called to the venue at 10:33 in the evening.

As people were leaving the explosion happened in a foyer connecting

Casualties have been treated in eight hospitals in Manchester.

60 ambulances from all around the north, not just here in Manchester

but also North Wales as well. The Islamic State group say

they are behind the attack. But we have had very little detail

in the message is circulated by the so-called Islamic State.

The BBC's Special correspondent Gavin Hewitt filed this

Ariana Grande's concert was coming to an end when from the foyer

A crowd of children, teenagers, parents heading for whatever

22 people were killed near the entrance.

My wife, I laid her down on the floor.

She had won that slide it under her chin, and bruised.

She's probably broken a femur in her left leg.

Something really hot flew over and landed behind me and my sister.

I thought they were behind me, so I ran out.

Then I realised they weren't, so I tried to run back

I shouted for my mum but I couldn't hear anything.

All I could hear was screaming, shouting.

Before the night was over, the police knew they were dealing

with an attack by a suicide bomber with a home-made explosive device

It was a deliberate attack on children and young people,

timed just at the moment when parents were waiting to pick

During the night, specialist teams were brought in.

400 police officers were deployed, along with forensic teams.

Early on, police appeared to know the identity of the bomber.

Then within the last hour, an update.

I can confirm that the man suspected of carrying out last night's

atrocity is 22-year-old Salman Abedi.

However, he has not been formally named by the coroner,

and I wouldn't wish to therefore comment any further

And on the street, survivors reliving a concert that

We hit the corridor, when we saw masses of people running

in absolute terror and panic to get out of the place.

There were mothers with children, carrying them over their shoulder.

There were people with even wheelchairs panicking to get out.

Laura and Isabella's concert ended in a chaotic search for an exit.

I don't really know which entrance we came out of.

We just ran, but we also found two girls that had lost their parents,

They were very scared because they were on their own.

Manchester has been a city on edge today, shaken by alerts and rumours.

It is now beyond doubt that the people of Manchester

and of this country have fallen victim to a callous

An attack that targeted some of the youngest

people in our society with cold calculation.

This was amongst the worst terrorist incidents we have ever experienced

During the day, police raided a number of houses.

A 23-year-old man was arrested in connection

An attack on an event like what happened last night

Preventing a determined suicide bomber is incredibly difficult.

The priority now for the police will be to discover everything

they can about this man - whether he is part of a wider

network and whether there is a risk of further attacks.

Dozens of people are still trying to trace loved ones

Among the missing, Olivia Campbell, aged 15.

And some of the first victims of the attack have been named.

Georgina Callander was aged 18, seen here with Ariana Grande

And eight-year-old Saffie Roussos was amongst those killed.

It was an attack directed at young people, at innocence.

As Gavin says there is an active police investigation underway.

Earlier today at 23-year-old man was arrested in South Manchester, that

will presumably be a line of investigation. What they are trying

to learn is more about Salman Abedi, and how did he know how to make this

bomb? Did somebody supply him with it? In that scenario that means

there is a bomb maker still at large perhaps not known to security

services and that carries a risk of further attacks. That will bring

much be the focus of the investigation.

Our Home Editor Mark Easton has the latest on the investigation,

his report contains flash photography,

Who was behind this attack on innocents?

As the concert ended and the lights came up, as children left

for home, music in their ears, smiles on their young faces, who

chose that moment to indulge their hateful ideology?

There is no need to bunch up and run.

Take your time and exit the building.

We now know the suicide bomber's name, Manchester-born

But police think others may have been

involved and today launched raids on people thought to have been his

A 23-year-old man was arrested in the Manchester district

A short distance away at another house in

Fallowfield, a controlled explosion took place.

It was like when you watch films and you hear a bomb go

It was like what you see in the movie.

Then we got to the end of the avenue and saw

the police and it hit home that it's your doorstep.

This part of the city is known to have been home to a

number of Islamist extremists in recent years, some with links to

Syria and Libya, some alive and some dead.

To construct a viable bomb that can be safely transported,

secreted through security and then detonated on command is not

something an amateur can easily achieve.

Police say the device was home-made, with reports that it

contained nuts, bolts, ball bearings and nails.

So-called Islamic State says that one of their soldiers of

the caliphate attacked what a statement called "A debauched

But the group frequently claims attacks in their aftermath

which later proved to have no connection.

This attack was planned, premeditated, and they're almost

certainly will be other people involved in this attack.

The most important thing is to catch them, to

identify them and to bring them into custody.

Until we've done that, then this attack really isn't over.

Greater Manchester Police are working with the national

counter-terrorism policing network, with Interpol and the intelligence

services to try to find out who planned mass

Our priority, along with the police counter-terrorist network and our

security partners, is to continue to establish whether he was acting

alone or working as part of a wider network.

Almost exactly a year ago, police and emergency services in

Manchester held a training exercise for just this kind of terrorist

For a number of years, the threat level has been set at

severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

The Prime Minister said today that that is now under review.

Understandably, the city is nervous, people on edge.

But there is a determination not to be cowed by terror.

"Manchester united" is the fitting response to a vicious attack

The spirit of the North alive and well, a lot of resilience onshore.

All political campaigning has been postponed and might be so for

several days to come but Theresa May has been to Manchester to meet

Greater Manchester Police and hear first hand how the investigation is

going. Tonight she went back to Downing Street for a Cobra meeting.

Let's bring in Alex Forsyth, we saw pictures of the Foreign Secretary

leaving a short while ago, any update on what was discussed? Not so

far, we know this was the second meeting today of the government 's

emergency Cobra committee, the first took place early this morning when

the magnitude of what had happened in Manchester became clear. Again

the Prime Minister came back to Downing Street and around 8pm

chaired another meeting of the government 's emergency committee.

What would have been discussed what would have been discussed was the

progress of the investigation taking place in Manchester. Theresa May and

Amber Rudd meeting with Greater Manchester Police earlier on today

but also a big part of those discussions would have focused on

the current threat level which stands on severe as things are and

Theresa May when she spoke in Downing Street earlier on said it

would be continuously assessed and monitored through coming days and

weeks. That also would have been the subject of discussions at the

emergency committee meeting. We know it finished some time ago because

the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson was seen to leave Downing Street in

a pretty sombre mood and we know the Defence Secretary Michael Fallon

also left the meeting so we are currently waiting to hear what was

discussed and an update on things we are expecting fairly soon. What can

you tell us about the election campaign? Obviously there will be

you would expect in the coming days some talk of resuming the campaign

perhaps more vigorously than before to show that democracy is robust.

There was no doubt in anybody's mind that when people realised what had

happened in Manchester that the campaign would have two paws. The

political leaders of every UK party unanimous in that from the early

hours of this morning. No question the cut and thrust of political

debate must take a step back as people deal with the aftermath of

what happens and come to terms with the magnitude of it. But there is

also a message from all of the political leaders that life must go

on in the face of incidents like this, Theresa May making it very

clear she did not want the values of terrorists to prevail, British

values should prevail. There will be a sense that the campaigns will not

resume as soon as tomorrow but in the next few days politicians of all

parties will want to get back some of normality, Echo that spirit of

defiance that people can get back and take part in a democratic system

which at times this can be so important to a country. Absolutely,

thank you. Those messages of defiance certainly coming from the

stage which is currently being deconstructed behind me but a lot of

politicians showing their solidarity with Manchester. The thing which

struck me today listening to people is how the emergency services

responded with such speed. In an incident like this and you have

heard from many eyewitnesses who said they did not know what was

going to happen next there is always a chance of a secondary incident but

the emergency services were running up towards the arena showing some

extraordinary bravery and the loudest applause we heard in the

square today when it was packed with hundreds of people was for the

emergency services. A lot of crying as well and I think there will be

more tears as we learn the details of those killed, many of them young

people, some of them children under the age of 16, the youngest eight

years old. There are 59 people in hospital at the moment, a huge

response from the Ambulance Service last night, 60 ambulances reacting

at one point, not just from greater Manchester but also North Wales and

across the Northwest. 59 patients at eight hospitals

in the Greater Manchester area, including nine

here at Manchester Royal Infirmary. We don't know how many of that total

are seriously injured, with life-threatening conditions,

we know that some of them are. Some are in intensive care and some

we have been told may well be We don't know how many children

or adults there are, but we do know that there are 12

patients at the Royal which is for the under 16s,

and there is at least one other child in hospital at another

of the hospitals in this area. The sense I get from

the emergency services, from North West Ambulance Service

and from the local NHS, is that they have made it

clear nothing can prepare you for the shock and the horror

and sadness at something like this. There is a quiet sense of relief,

I think, that the disaster plan they had drawn up and they had

worked very carefully on, they could put

into practise. They had planned for an incident

just like this, and that meant that very quickly called in staff,

overnight, lots of staff came in as part of that plan,

and lots more did as well Some of who were told

they weren't actually needed. The Ambulance Service made clear

there were 300 of its staff, including the control room,

who were involved in this. They had support from other

Ambulance Services - the West Midlands and Yorkshire

and so on. And one point that staff

are wanting to make, some of them have come out to tell

us is they have been overwhelmed They want to thank local people

for coming in with cakes and drinks. One elderly patient,

a woman in a wheelchair Local catering firms

with boxes of food. There is a room in there

full of these gifts, and they are trying to distribute

them widely, but they by that, and for them, that sort

of symbolises, as we have been hearing earlier, the spirit

of Manchester today. We saw the worst of humanity last

night but we have seen the best of it since that attack. It's not just

people coming forward to give blood, it's the way people have reacted

with ordinary selfless things they can do to help, taxi drivers

offering free rides to people to get them home, I met one man, who ran a

free taxi service all night, he has not been to bed yet and he ran a man

to a hospital who had lost his girlfriend so he was offering

comfort to some people as well. We heard from hotel that bit up

children separated from their parents, families were separated in

the panic and it was difficult for parents to keep hold of children.

People just offering rooms, extraordinary community spirit here

in Manchester and that is the heart-warming aspect of what has

happened in the last 20 hours or so. Our correspondent Sophie Long

reports on how the community Manchester was a city understandably

on edge this morning - panic as another building

in the city centre was evacuated. Smashed all the windows down

in the Arndale to get out. This time it was a false alarm

and while the threat is felt acutely, people here are coming

together and the human spirit, No amount of evilness will ever,

ever dampen any good thought Cab drivers who worked

through the night, foregoing their fares,

were back keeping the city Mostly the teenagers, like,

8 to 16 or 14 years old, all these girls they're crying

for their mothers and their parents Then we take to their home,

take to the hotel, take Jump in the cab and

I'll drop you there." When I asked people how they feel

about what happened here, so many people have said to me -

I have no words, and words have been difficult to find today as people

just begin to get their heads around the atrocity that took place right

in the heart of their city. What comes more easily

to people here are actions. Obviously, with the tragedy that's

happened, if we can help in that So it'd be nice, you know,

to do something to help. I just really wanted to come down

and see if I could help at all because it's such

a massive tragedy. There's just been an overwhelming

response on social media, so I thought I'd come down and try

and give blood. People connected -

in person, by phone. Even the very young

were among those responding. I saw it on the news and I work

in Manchester, I do security, and it just scares you really that

it's so close to home and we're sat at home,

so we might as well help, On the city's streets

today a real sense of After what happened yesterday,

there's a responsibility to do something and I just want to show

people that they're loved. So we're just going around

by hugging people because, ultimately, love's the only thing

that we can do when That's how Manchester is responding

to an inhumane, cowardly attack, I was telling you about the taxi

driver I met who helped through the course of the evening, let's hear

more from him, it was an interesting interview, his name was a

we opened our doors to the general public who needed a bit of shelter,

somewhere to get a taxi or a phone and these chaps stepped in and help

wherever they could in providing the community services we are known for.

You ferried home so many people from the arena last night, what stories

stick in your mind? I would say the gentleman who lost his girlfriend.

Just thinking about it, it makes you shiver. A child telling me she felt

like she was in a war zone. Those kind of stories you would not think

would come from a city like Manchester. The Manchester family

are still crying. Tell me about the man who lost his girlfriend, how did

you come across him and what sort of support were you able to offer?

Basically I took him to the hospital and he found out his girlfriend had

passed away. But he did not have a phone. He could not communicate with

his family. He did not have any money. The problem I faced last

night was I had a taxi sign and people assumed if you have got a

taxi sign you need money. So the second journey I did I basically, I

did the second journey, the third journey I got a piece of paper and

literally wrote up, with a bit of Sellotape, free taxi, and stuck it

on the back of my car. How many journeys do you think you did? I

lost count after 14. I have not slept yet, the work is still being

carried on by our skies. We are delivering food to all the emergency

services, we are going around the hospitals, ensuring they have got

clothes, water, food. We are going pretty much everywhere, we have over

200 taxi is offering the free ride service home. It does not matter

where you are, we have been to Birmingham today and Blackpool.

Quickly, how many people do you think you help last night? 80 or 90

who came to the temple and got something to eat and we got them a

lift home and give them a hot drink. To extraordinary men among many

extraordinary people who came out here in Manchester last night. Many

of those people at the arena last night came to Albert Square are just

a couple of hours ago, hundreds of people here standing room only,

people squashed together in the square. The vigil began with the

show of appreciation for the emergency services, the Lord Mayor

of Manchester said it was a chance to express solidarity with the

victims but I think a lot of people recognising the extraordinary work

the emergency services dead last night which surely save the lives of

many injured. Speaking at the vigil we also heard from the Bishop of

Manchester David Walker. He believes the city 's unity have

been strengthened by the diversity you can see behind me.

This is an unbelievable turnout tonight, it shows

that they are the very few but we are the many,

As a small boy I passed this town hall every school day on my way

from home to my education and it symbolised all that was great

about this city, it symbolises the unity we have had ever

A unity that has been strengthened by our diversity,

we are the successful world city we are because people have come

from all parts of the world and we have welcomed them

and they have made their homes here and they have become Manchester too.

We will pull through the events of last night because we will stand

together, stand together whatever our background,

whatever our religion, whatever our beliefs or our politics,

we will stand together to say that this city is greater

than the forces that align itself against it and as we say

that we are sending a signal not just to Manchester

but across the world, that you cannot defeat us

because love in the end is always stronger than hate.

That's certainly the Manchester message today, but there will be

hundreds, thousands of people at the arena last night who will be lost in

their thoughts this evening, hearing the explosion and they will know

they had a lucky escape. There will be nightmares and there will be some

tough things to deal with I think for a lot of people at the arena

last night in the days and weeks ahead in particular as we start to

hear the stories of those killed. Greater Manchester Police have been

asking people who took photographs and videos last night as they were

making their way out of the arena to post them on a website they have

made available. They want to hear from any eyewitnesses. Judith

moderates has been speaking to two of them who are cousins.

I've been waiting to see her tour for about four years.

So I've literally been waiting for so long,

released the tour dates and we were like "We'll save up

and get good tickets, because we are going

She just came out, and I cried when she came out.

It's just a bit overwhelming when you meet someone you've just

The gig was nearly finished, or pretty much finished?

Yeah, she had done an encore and she had just finished.

We got up out of our seats, literally walked to the end

of our aisle, and that's when we heard it happen.

But it was too loud to be a gunshot, and everywhere just shook

And all the stewards were just a bit like "What's going on?"

No one really knew what was happening.

And then we just heard people screaming and shouting "Run",

and everyone was running, flooding back into the arena

which was leading to the train station, I think.

And then it was just like a massive stampede of people.

There were a lot of huddles of people.

There was someone on the floor and loads of people around them.

She was sat outside the stairs of the arena and she had, like,

a big gash on her chin and blood was coming down her clothes

and she was just screaming and her parents were crying.

As we were walking further and further,

There were police and ambulances everywhere.

I caught a glimpse inside the station and was

You just don't ever want to see things like that.

The whole station and the foyer bit was just in pieces.

It's so sad to think that people have gone and then not come back.

And what was going to be the best night of our lives that had been

Since we booked the tickets, it was so exciting, and it's turned

out into the most traumatic things that I've personally

Do you feel lucky in a way to have come back OK?

It's horrible to think, you know, what the families are going through.

We could hear people crying and screaming.

It is truly awful. Plenty of reaction round Europe and the world

today. Some very moving pictures of the French President, leaving the

lie say Palace there, doing away with the protocol and walking to the

British embassy to sign a book that had been opened in the British

embassy in Paris, of course the French know all too well about

incidents like this. Emanual Macron saying is he wants to see more

reaction and closer collaboration when it comes to counter-terrorism,

so watch this space, probably plenty more to come on that in the days and

weeks ahead. Theresa May has been up here today, through the course of

the day, to be with Greater Manchester Police, and also of

course to show some solidarity with those being treated in hospital and

with the families of testify dead, of course as well. He is keeping

abreast of that investigation, which is fast-moving and if you are just

joining us, you should know they have named the attacker as

2-year-old Salman Abedi, he is from Manchester, Manchester born, in fact

he was a Manchester United fan, he has lived in several places around

the city, they did raid a family home today, in fact there was a

controlled explosion as they went into that home today, which they

said was routine but they are not taking any risk, and Theresa May

getting back from Manchester, having heard about that investigation to a

Cobra meeting this evening in Downing Street. So let us talk to

Alex Forsyth who is watching at Downing Street at the moment, to see

what reaction there is likely to be. Alex, I was talking about Emmanuel

Macron, who is calling for greater collaboration, when it comes to

counter-terrorism. I am wonder what more collaboration there can be,

because after the Paris incidents, there has been a lot of working

closely together, hasn't there in the last few months and years? Yes,

absolutely, and after these incidents it is so familiar for us

now, sadly, to see such expressions of solidarity coming from leaders

across the world, other country, even this evening not just in the

statements that we are hearing, but in the symbols we are seeing in

capital cities across the world, in expression of support and unity, for

the UK, and I think because of the recent attacks we have seen in other

country, in Brussels, Paris, there has been much work done about how we

can better improve cooperation when it comes to security and terrorism,

with the European Union and other partners across the world. That has

been a huge focus and work that has been continuing for some time, there

is of course, a common approach that everybody recognises, the level of

threat that faces countries and the fact that it is all too often played

out in incidents we saw like the one in Manchester last night. The UK

isn't the only country to feel this, this is something that resonates

with populations elsewhere as well, so, you hear from world leaders

repeatedly in the aftermath of an incident like, the need to stand

together, shoulder to should e of course there will be some

examination in the coming weeks, as there has been before about what

more can be done to collaborate, the try and reduce the threat that

countries face, to somehow tackle this problem, but it is a very

complicated problem as we know and one with know easy solution, so I

think at this stage, all we will see is those discussions, incredibly

difficult discussions continuing for some time.

Keep talking because we are waiting for some sort of reaction for the

Cobra meeting. I suppose want they will want to know, and what of

course want to know, is a bit about Salman Abedi. Who taught him to make

the bomb? Whether indeed he was supplied with the bomb, because one

of the things that would be the worst case scenario of course is

whether there was someone a bomb maker who is still at large who

isn't known to the security services? Well, that is right, and

part of the reason Theresa May went to Manchester earlier today, was to

meet with Greater Manchester Police to get an update. She chaired a

meeting of the xhernl city committee Cobra, with high level officials not

just from the Government but the security services as well. Much of

that would have focussed on the investigation, and that really key

question, about whether or not this was an individual or whether he was

part of a wider network. Network. And if so, what kind of question

that raises as you say, Christian, about other people that may have

been involved in this incident. I think we have heard from Greater

Manchester Police, that that will very much be the focus of their

investigation, because that is such a critical question now, in the days

and weeks ahead, that will be what they are looking at and trying to

make sure that whatever threat that there may or may not be still out

there, that that can be dealt with as quickly as possible, and we know,

of course, that Theresa May stood out here in Downing Street earlier

and repeated in an interview she gave afterwards, the message that we

are getting from the Government now, is that the police, that the

security services will have every resource they need to continue their

investigation, in Manchester, the support levels from the Government

as we have seen in the aftermath of the Westminster attack not so long

ago that, was message we had from Theresa May, and the Government then

as well, they want to make sure that the police are resourced properly do

their job, and when we have incidents of this magnitude, of this

scale, then it becomes even more important, that the police are able

to get on with their investigations. And two big events coming up quite

quickly. You have the Europa Cup final midweek and the FA Cup Final

at the weekend. Yes, I think that people will want

reassurance, in fact the Prime Minister Theresa May was asked about

this in her interview earlier on, they will want reassurance about the

safety and security of the nation. When you have something like this

happen, Andre Ayew trosty like this, it affects everybody in the country,

that I suddenly start to think, you know, will I be safe when it comes

to the next big event that is happening and Theresa May in, when

she was asked about that, was very keen to stress that the security

services and the police are doing everything that I can to ensure that

people, of course, remain safe, and the message coming from the Prime

Minister, Theresa May, as we have heard her say before, because of

course she was Home Secretary for a number of year, before she took on

the role of Prime Minister, is that she wants to be able to reassure

people as much as possible. Not just reasure them when it comes to their

safety and security, but reassure them they should be as much as

possible in, on an occasion like this continuing with their live,

going about their daily business, and trying no to disrupt people. I

think we can hear from the Prime Minister now.

Another meeting of Cobra, where we again discussed the callous and

cowardly terrorist attack in Manchester last night. And the

operational response from the security service, the police, and

other emergency services. It remains the case that other than

the terrorist himself, 22 people were killed in the attack. 59 people

remain sqrired, and many of them have life-threatening conditions. --

injured. As Greater Manchester Police

confirmed earlier today, the perpetrator was Salman Abedi. A

22-year-old who was born and brought up in Britain. And as the emergency

services have confirmed, throughout the day, his victims were innocent

children, young people, and their families.

Our thoughts and prayers are with them all. I want to reiterate what I

said this morning, about the professionalism of the emergency

service, and the bravery of the people of Manchester. Through their

actions, they proved that cowardice will always be defeated by bravery,

that evil can be overcome by good and that our values, the liberal

pluralistic values of Britain will always prevail over the hateful

ideology of the terrorists. In my statement earlier today, I

said that the police and security services need to investigate whether

or not Salman Abedi wassing alone. Those investigations continue. But

the work undertaken throughout the day, has revealed that it it's a

possibility we cannot ignore, that there is a wider group of

individuals linked to this attack. This morning, I said that the joint

terrorism analysis centre, the independent organisation responsible

for setting the threat level on the basis of the intelligence available

was keeping the threat level under constant review. It is now concluded

on the basis of today's investigations, that the threat

level should be increased, for the time being, from severe, to

critical. This means that their assessment is

not only an attack remains highly likely but that a further attack may

be imminent. The change in the threat level means

that there will be additional resources is and support made

available to the police, as they work to keep us all safe. As a

result of the decision, the police have asked for authorisation from

the Secretary of State for Defence, to deploy a number of armed military

personnel, in support of their armed officers.

This request is part of a well established plan known as operation

testimony for a in which the Armed Forces and the police officers

involved are well trained and well prepared to work in this kind of

environment. The Secretary of State for Defence has approved this

request, and operation Teppora is now in force. This means that armed

police officers responsible for duties such as guarding will be

replace by the Armed Forces which will allow the police to increase

the number of armed officers on patrol in key locations.

You might also see military personnel deployed at certain event,

such as concerts and sports matches, helping the police to keep the

public safe. In all circumstances, members of the

Armed Forces who are deployed in this way will be under the command

of police officers. Precisely how the military and armed

police officers will be deployed, is an operational decision, for police

commanders, and Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley of the

Metropolitan Police will be making a statement giving further details at

New Scotland Yard later this evening.

In the coming days and weeks, there will be, of course be me vents

hosted up and down the country. The police will work with the organisers

and hosts to come to a judgment about how they can go ahead, while

making sure the people who attend them are safe and secure. I do not

want the public to feel unduly alarmed. We have faced a serious

terrorist threat in our country for many years. And the operational

response I have just outlined is a proportionate and sensible response,

to the threat that our security experts judge we face. I ask

everybody to be vigilant. And to co-operate with and support the

police as they go about their important work. I want to end by

repeating the important message I gave in my statement earlier today.

We will take every measure available to us, and provide every additional

resource we can to the police and the security services, as they work

to protect the public. And while we mourn the victims of

last night's appalling attack, we stand defiant. The spirit of

Manchester, and the spirit of Britain is far mightier than the

sick plots of depraved terrorists. That is why the terrorists will

never win. And we will prevail. So that is Theresa May, finishing

her statement after the Cobra meeting this evening, at Downing

Street and some important spoils to pull out of that. The threat level

is being increased from severe to critical. It is the assessment that

a further attack not only is likely but may well be imminent. And to

that end, they are going to deploy soldiers alongside police at key

positions, around cities, so, this operation, which is known as Tempora

will mean they can increase armed police officer who will be on patrol

round city centres and we have seen plenty of that today in Manchester.

400 armed police officers have been on duty. What we will see is more

soldiers deployed to help out with the police. The Prime Minister

saying that is a proportionate and sensible response, we have been

doing a quick bit of research on that, I can tell you that the threat

level has been up there at critical twice before, once in 2006 during a

plot, a major plot to smash, or to blow up transatlantic airliners with

liquid bomb, you might remember that, there was a long running court

case and it is one of the reasons we have to put our liquids into clear

bags when we go to the airport. Then it was raise again the following

year when the security chiefs deemed there was a plot to bomb a London

nightclub, and in fact that ended with the attack on Glasgow airport,

so twice before, it has been at this critical level, and it will be at

critical level for the foreseeable future, at least until that I know

more about Salman Abedi. -- they know. Let us bring in Alex, that

won't have been a decision the Prime Minister will have taken lightly?

Well, absolutely not. Because this really is quite a significant

escalation of the situation, Theresa May there would not have wanted, as

she said in her own words to unduly alarm anybody so this would have

been a considered decision to raise the threat level. So the Secretary

of State for Defence Michael Fallon approving the military armed pennel

at key sites to free up more armed officers on the streets. The reason

for this, Theresa May and specifically that threat level being

raised to critical, is the possibility, she said of a wired

network that cannot be ignored, a wider group of terrorists, rather

than just an individual, Salman Abedi, acting on his own, that has

been unwe of the key questions that has been considered by the police

and the Government, and the security services throughout the day, and

they have clearly come to the decision there is still a threat out

there and the threat which had been veer, which did mean an attack was

highly light likely, raised to critical which means one is expected

imminently. The last time that happened was in 2007 after the

attacks on Glasgow airport so a considerable time ago and the

balance that will need to be struck by Government, in reaching these

really difficult decisions is about making sure that the public are safe

and protected, but at the same time not causing any more fear and alarm

that is absolutely necessary, and in the hours since we have seen that

incident in Manchester, the magnitude, the scale of the attack,

the number of people that died, people will be feeling very nervous,

very worried and the Prime Minister and the Government and the security

services will be well aware of that, so they would not have reached this

conclusion, unwill less they felt reason to do so. Theresa May, again,

reiterating there, the police, the security service, the Armed Forces

will get the support and resources they need. Her message still one of

defiance, saying people should car I reason o and keep the, capture the

spirit of Manchester in that defiant tone, nonetheless, choosing to take

what would have been a carefully calculated decision to increase

threat level and other measures you outline there.

Yes, and reading between the lines, and we are, we will make get more

from our security correspondents later, but it would tend to suggest

that they might know about Salman Abedi, but they don't know about the

cell around him and they particularly don't know about who

has made this bomb. Bomb. It wasn't a crude bomb, I mean there is a

certain level of sophistication that goes into building a vast and

packing nuts and bolts as has been reported round that bomb and then,

no only getting to the position are you have built it, but getting to

the arena and detonating it without the security services finding out.

So there is a certain sophistication in the style of the attack.

We heard from Greater Manchester Police today. We heard from the

Prime Minister, that the really critical question they were trying

to establish because they almost immediately said they were able to

identify the attacker Salman Abedi, himself, so the focus very quickly

turned to whether or not he was acting as an individual or whether

he was part of a wider network, we saw the police activity that took

place in and round Manchester which very much focussed on that, because

the crucial question is, of course, is there a continued threat from

anybody that may or may not have been operating with him and what we

heard very clearly from the Prime Minister, Theresa May, in the

statement that she just made then, that is not a possibility they can

rule out at this time, that there is a possibility that Salman Abedi was

operating as part of a wider network, and so, one must assume

that fed into the decision that has been reached by the Government this

evening, to increase the threat level to critical, from severe, we

don't know how long that will last, the threat level is constantly under

review in the UK, this is never something that is just decided. This

is a dynamic moving decision that will constantly be under review, and

under discussion, the security services as you may imagine in

Government and the police will all be feeding in now, into their

decisions is in the ex-next few days about what should happen next, but

the immediate focus no doubt will be on those investigations in

Manchester and any other investigations that may stem from

that. Yes. Alex Forsyth for the moment

thank you for that update. As the Prime Minister said we are expecting

to hear from New Scotland Yard in the course of the evening and

perhaps we will get more detail on what sort of operation is likely to

unfold in the capital and perhaps also here in Manchester, as well. So

when that press conference happens, we will take you to that. But for

the moment from here in Manchester, let us hand you back to Ross in the

studio. Thank you.

Let us look back over what we have heard from the UK Prime Minister

Theresa May in last few minute, lots of news wires coming in on that from

the Prime Minister, first of all, the most significant element of her

announcement, that the threat level is to be increased from severe, to

critical, as Christian and Alex have been discussing, the Prime Minister

said military personnel maybe deployed at public events as may

armed police officer, she went out of her way to point out these

military personnel will be under police command, let us see what else

we're have here. This is UK Prime Minister saying the possibility

cannot be ignored there is a end wooer group of individuals, linked

to Manchester attack, and as Christian has been discussing, one

of the big questions is was this young man acting alone, or with the

help of others? And just to remind you, with regards to the threat

level, this is copy from MI5, telling us all the different

statuses and critical means an attack subpoena expected imminently,

so that means that the people advising Theresa May are telling her

they believe an attack is expected. Imminently. A couple of other

details to give you. The, if we go in more closely on the map, we can

highlight where it took place, the Manchester United arena which is the

biggest concert haul in the UK. If we bring the map out a bit. We have

highlighted two places in the south, one, an area where a house was

raided and there was a controlled explosion, and also, in a separate

area called Chorlton, a man was arrested. We have an image of that

arrest taking place, you see the man being led away there, but the police

have not told us why the man was taken into custody.

So to reiterate how far we have come with this Tory, the UK Prime

Minister Theresa May raising the threat level from severe, to

critical. We know that 22 people lost their lives at the Manchester

Arena, the concert had just finished. Many hundreds if not

thousands of people were leaving the venue, and in one of the foyers, the

suicide attack took place, we also know 59 people have been injured.

As you have seen during this hour, the story is developing all of the

time. You can get the very latest on the BBC News channel, here in the

UK, on BBC word news you are watching outside and of course

through the BBC News website and the BBC News app, but from all of us on

Outside Source thank you for watching today, we will see you

tomorrow. Bye.