Salman Abedi Was Pictured Pulling This Suitcase Through Manchester The Day Before The Attack

    Officers have urged anyone who may have seen Abedi with the suitcase to come forward, while stressing that the case was different to the bag the bomber used to carry out the attack.


    Salman Abedi was seen the day before his attack on the Manchester Arena dragging a large blue suitcase through the city centre, new images released by police show.

    Officers have urged anyone who may have seen Abedi with the suitcase to come forward, stressing that the case was different to the one used during the blast.

    Police have not revealed exactly where the image was taken, or what they believe may have been inside the case. But they're said they believe it was in his possession in the days leading up to the attack.

    Abedi was also pictured with the suitcase in the Wilmslow Road area of south Manchester, which is close to where several subsequent police raids have taken place.

    Police are trying to pinpoint Abedi's movements between 18 May, when he returned from a trip to Libya, and 22 May, when he carried out the deadly attack that killed 22 people and injured dozens more.

    Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson from the North West Counter Terrorism Unit said: “We believe Abedi was in possession of this case in the days before the attack at Manchester Arena on Monday 22 May. I want to stress that this is a different item than the one he used in the attack. This image was taken from CCTV in the city centre on 22 May.

    “We have no reason to believe the case and its contents contain anything dangerous, but would ask people to be cautious.”

    Police continued to make a series of arrests over the weekend, and as part of the investigation have raided properties across Greater Manchester, as well as in Chester and in Shoreham-on-Sea, Sussex.

    So far, 16 people have been arrested in connection with the investigation, with 14 men remaining in custody for questioning, and two people having been released without charge.

    On Monday police also released an image of a suitcase like Abedi's in the hope of jogging the memories of people who may have seen him around Manchester.

    Jackson added: “We continue to track the final movements of Salman Abedi and are particularly interested in his whereabouts between 18 and 22 May 2017.

    “Did you see Abedi with this suitcase between the 18 and 22 May 2017? Where did you see him with it during that time? You may have seen him in the Wilmslow Road area or Manchester city centre with the suitcase or know where the suitcase has been. If you have any details about the suitcase we need you to get in touch and let us know.

    “Anybody with information about the whereabouts of the case between 18 and 22 May should call the Anti-Terrorist Hotline in confidence on 0800 789 321. The public should not approach the case if they see it but contact police immediately on 999.”

    Police have asked anyone with any images or footage they believe can assist with the investigation to upload them to UKpoliceimageappeal.co.uk or UKpoliceimageappeal.com as soon as possible.