British police investigating the Manchester Arena attack cordoned off an area around a car that may be important to the investigation as they hunted Friday for clues about the movements of the suicide bomber.
Officers have put in place a 100-metre cordon around a white Nissan Micra in southern Manchester. They are hoping to piece together Salman Abedi’s preparations before the blast that killed 22 people and wounded dozens of others at an Ariana Grande concert.
“This is potentially a significant development in the investigation,” Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson said. “We are very interested in anything people can tell us about the movements of this car, and who was in it, over the past months.”
Police were also interested in “who may have had access to the car or who may have gone to and from it.”
As a precaution, people were being evacuated from the nearby Ronald McDonald House, which offers accommodation for families with children who are being treated in the hospital. A local hospital remained working as usual.
The developments came Friday after police released new security camera images of Abedi before the attack, hoping to piece together his actions between May 18 and May 22.
Meanwhile, police in Manchester said security will be tight this Sunday as the city comes together for both a memorial concert and a soccer match.
“Two large-scale events will be taking place less than a mile away from each other,” Stuart Ellison, chief superintendent of the Greater Manchester Police (GMP), said in a statement.
Ellison encouraged the public to remain patient while going through various security checks, and vigilant.
“The safety of the public, inside and outside, is paramount to our policing operation.”
A message from event commander for Sunday, Chief Superintendent Stuart Ellison pic.twitter.com/CZffOduYx3
