Manchester terror attack: Everything we know so far
The Manchester Arena suicide bomber who killed 22 people, including an eight-year-old girl, at an Ariana Grande concert on Monday night has been named as 22-year-old Salman Abedi.
It comes after the Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility for the bombing - the worst terrorist attack in the UK since the deaths of 56 people in the 7/7 London bombings of 2005.
Here's everything we know about the attack, the bomber and the victims so far.
Explosion rocks Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, in pictures
What happened?
Manchester-born Abedi is suspected of detonating a homemade explosive device packed with nuts and bolts at about 10:30pm, near the foyer of the Manchester Arena, shortly after Miss Grande, the US singer, had finished her performance.
Thousands of young fans and their families were filing out of Europe's largest indoor arena when the explosion ripped through the crowds, sparking panic. Screams rang out through the venue and victims described seeing smoke and being thrown across the floor by the blast.
Singer Grande, 23, who was led to safety, said on Twitter: "broken. from the bottom of my heart, [I] am so so sorry. [I] don't have words."
broken.
from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words.— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) May 23, 2017
The suspect died at the scene and counter-terrorism agencies immediately mounted a massive inquiry.
Officers are treating the bombing as an act of terrorism and on Tuesday afternoon the Islamic State group claimed responsibility. Supporters had been celebrating the bombing on social media.
Police confirmed Abedi's name on Tuesday afternoon as an address in Elsmore Road, Manchester, where he was registered as living, was raided. Armed police then carried out a controlled explosion at the red-bricked semi-detached home.
Greater Manchester Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: "I can confirm that the man suspected of carrying out last night's atrocity has been named as 22-year-old Salman Abedi.
"The priority remains to establish whether he was acting alone or as part of a network."
What else do we know about the suspect bomber?
Abedi was born in Manchester in 1994, the second youngest of four children. His parents were Libyan refugees who came to the UK to escape the Gaddafi regime.
His mother, Samia Tabbal, 50, and father, Ramadan Abedi, a security officer, were both born in Libya but appear to have emigrated to London before moving to the Fallowfield area of south Manchester where they have lived for at least ten years.
He grew up in the Whalley Range area and attended Whalley Range High School before apparently working at Didsbury Mosque in 2013.
It has emerged that Abedi had travelled to Libya, raising fears he had been trained there and posing questions for the security services on whether he should have been tracked.
What is the UK threat level?
The UK official threat level from international terrorism was raised on Tuesday from severe to critical - meaning an attack is “expected imminently”. This is the first time in 10 years that it has been raised to this level.
The increased risk has seen up to 5,000 soldiers being deployed on the streets amid fears the bomber had accomplices preparing further attacks.
In August 2014, then Home Secretary, Theresa May announced the terror threat was being raised to severe in the wake of warnings of the deadly threat posed by British jihadists radicalised fighting for Islamic State extremists in Syria and Iraq.
Were there accomplices?
Plain clothes police officers have arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with the attack near a Morrisons in Chorlton, south Manchester on Tuesday morning. No more details have been given.
Investigators fear Abedi was part of a wider network of Isil-inspired terrorists. Experts believe the device detonated at the concert was so sophisticated that Abedi must have either been given specialist training abroad or used a bomb made by a technician who has not yet been captured.
Special Forces soldiers had been sent to Manchester on standby to support the police in the hunt for other potential bombers.
Who are the dead?
Many children and young people are among the dead and missing. Desperate parents spent the night searching for missing loved ones, flooding social media with images as they tried to trace them.
The first victim was named as college student Georgina Callander. The 18-year-old "superfan", from Whittle-le-Woods in Lancashire, had met her idol Miss Grande in 2015 and had posted excitedly about the moment on Instagram.
Eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussosfrom Leyland, Lancashire has also been confirmed dead after becoming separated from her mother Lisa and sister Ashlee Bromwich, who is in her 20s.
They are both being treated for shrapnel injuries. Olivia Campbell, a fifteen-year-old, was also killed in the attack, her mother said on Tuesday night.
"RIP my darling precious gorgeous girl Olivia Campbell taken far far to soon go sing with the angels and keep smiling mummy loves you so much," Ms Campbell's mother, Charlotte, said on Facebook.
Tributes have also been paid to 26-year-old John Atkinson from Bury, who was named by friends on Facebook as a victim.
What about the injured?
Many of the 59 people injured are being treated for life-threatening conditions in eight hospitals across Manchester. Twelve are under the age of 16, according to David Ratcliffe, medical director of North West Ambulance Service.
Where did the attack happen exactly?
How has Manchester responded?
Devastated locals have opened up their homesand given help to concert-goers affected, using the hashtag #RoomForManchester. There are also reports that a hotel near the venue has taken in dozens of children to keep them safe.
Taxi drivers have been offering people free rides home, and volunteers were arranging to give blood at donor banks to help those injured.
Manchester's Piccadilly Gardens was on Tuesday afternoon packed with workers on their lunch break listening to a busker singing songs of defiance including as All You Need Is Love by the Beatles.
Blood donor centres have also experienced an "incredible" response from the public with queues forming outside Blood and Transplant buildings.
The service usually operates via an appointment system, but with about 100 people outside one building on Brown Street in the city centre, just a 10-minute walk from the site of the attack, staff have been trying to accommodate as many walk-ins as possible.
What has the Government said?
Prime Minister Theresa May called an emergency Cobra meeting on Tuesday morning before travelling to Manchester to meet Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins.
She visited Manchester town hall to read tributes and sign a book of condolence as people began gathering outside for a vigil in Albert Square.
Mrs May told the press: "The spirit of Manchester and the spirit of Britain - a spirit that through years of conflict and terrorism has never been broken and will never be broken."
Outlining the increased risk later in the day, Mrs May said: “It is a possibility we cannot ignore that there is a wider group of individuals linked to this attack.”
She described the bombing as “one of the worst terrorist incidents we have ever experienced in the United Kingdom” and said it “stands out for its appalling, sickening cowardice – deliberately targeting innocent, defenceless children and young people who should have been enjoying one of the most memorable nights of their lives”.
Mrs May said of the attack: “We struggle to comprehend the warped and twisted mind that sees a room packed with young children not as a scene to cherish, but as an opportunity for carnage.
“But we can continue to resolve to thwart such attacks in future, to take on and defeat the ideology that often fuels this violence, and if there turn out to be others responsible for this attack, to seek them out and bring them to justice.”
What's the situation now?
A cordon remains in place around the Arena and Manchester Victoria Station (which is attached to the Arena) while forensic officers examine the scene.
The Manchester Victoria is likely to remain closed for several days. Trains are not running to, from or through the station, with services diverted or cancelled. Metrolink trams are also not operating through the station.
Elsewhere, British Transport Police said officers would be on patrol at key railway stations, as well as on trains around the country this week.
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has announced that extra police officers have been put on duty in London in the wake of the "utterly appalling" attack.
How are police investigating?
They will be looking to build a picture of Abedi's movements both in recent weeks and months as well as immediately before the strike. Another priority will be to establish whether any further linked attacks or copycat incidents are planned.
It is likely that the bomber's communications will form a significant part of the inquiry, while investigators will also be checking if he was known to authorities in any way.
One area of focus will be examining the remnants of the device used as officers work to establish whether Abedi built it himself or had help.
As well as seeking to identify any potential accomplices in Britain, authorities will also be looking into the possibility of any link to international groups.
Police have appealed for concert-goers and witnesses to provide them with any footage they have from the scene if they believe it can assist the probe.
Who can I call if I am concerned about a loved one or have information?
Anyone with concerns over loved ones can contact 0161 856 9400 or 0161 856 9900 for assistance.
Any footage from the scene can be uploaded at ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk or ukpoliceimageappeal.com.
The anti-terrorist hotline is 0800 789321. Anyone with urgent concerns should contact 999.
Is the timing relevant?
The blast occurred on the anniversary of the murder of soldier Lee Rigby, who was hacked to death on a London street on May 22, 2013.
Rigby's gruesome murder gained international notoriety when Michael Adebolajo was filmed by passers-by standing in the street with blood-soaked hands trying to justify the attack.
Chris Phillips, the former head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office, told BBC Radio Four's Today programme: "That may be significant as well."
What about the June 8 election?
Campaigning for the June 8 General Election has been suspended following the attack, which is the worst terrorist atrocity ever to take place during a UK election period.
Mrs May spoke with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in the hours after the attack and agreed to put the contest on hold until further notice.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron called off a campaign trip to Gibraltar, while the Scottish National Party postponed the planned launch of its manifesto.
Leaders of all main parties sent messages of support and sympathy for those caught up in the horrific incident and said they would be halting election activities temporarily.
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