Police hunting the network behind Manchester suicide bomber Salman Abedi have made "significant" arrests and said officers had seized "very important" items in raids linked to the investigation.
Greater Manchester Chief Constable Ian Hopkins also hit out at the leaks of intelligence by US agencies, which had caused "distress and upset" to the families of victims of the atrocity.
Theresa May said she will tell Donald Trump that intelligence shared with the US "must remain secure" in a sign of the UK authorities' anger at the repeated leaks of sensitive information to the media.
In an update on the investigation, Mr Hopkins said: "I want to reassure people that the arrests that we have made are significant, and initial searches of premises have revealed items that we believe are very important to the investigation."
It is understood that police have stopped sharing information on the bombing with their US law enforcement counterparts following the leaks.
Mr Hopkins said the leaked photographs and information published by the New York Times had caused "much distress for families that are already suffering terribly with their loss".
Here is what we know following the terrorist attack at Manchester Arena that targeted young concert-goers.
- Greater Manchester Police have reportedly stopped passing information to the US on the investigation into the Manchester suicide bombing after a series of leaks to American media.
- Suicide bomber Salman Abedi, 22, detonated an improvised explosive device killing 22 people, including himself, and injuring up to 64. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
- Abedi's brother Ismail is one of eight people who remain in custody after a string of raids across Manchester and the West Midlands area.
- The terrorist's father Ramadan Abedi and other brother Hashim - who is believed to have been aware of all the details of the attack - have been arrested in Tripoli, Libya.
- A minute's silence will be held at 11am on Thursday in remembrance of those who lost their lives or were affected by the attack.
- The Prime Minister will chair a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergency committee in Whitehall on Thursday morning.
- The UK threat level has been raised to "critical" and almost 1,000 military personnel have been deployed around the country, including to key sites such as Parliament, Buckingham Palace and Downing Street.
- Cheshire Police confirmed that one of its female officers died while off-duty at the concert but have not named her.
- The explosion took place at Manchester Arena on Monday evening as people began streaming from the doors after a show by American singer Ariana Grande.
- Grande's upcoming gigs at the O2 in London have been cancelled.
Here’s everything we know so far about Monday night’s terrorist attack in Manchester:
What happened?
Shortly before 11pm, a man named by police as 22-year-old Salman Abedi walked into the foyer of Manchester Arena just minutes after the American pop singer Ariana Grande finished a show in the main concert space.
Abedi detonated an improvised explosive device as fans were exiting the venue, killing 22 people and injuring up to 64.
The injured, including 12 under the age of 16, were being treated at eight hospitals across Greater Manchester. Abedi died at the scene.
Who was Salman Abedi?
Abedi was born in Manchester to Libyan parents who reportedly fled their native country and sought refuge in the UK.
He grew up in a Muslim household in the city and is thought to have returned to the UK from Libya just days before committing the atrocity in Manchester city centre.
He studied business and management at Salford University before dropping out, and he is thought to have been radicalised after trips to Syria and his parents’ native Libya.
The French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said he had “proven” links with the Islamic State terror group.
Who are the victims?
Police and relatives have confirmed the names of 16 out of 22 people known to have died in the bombing, including eight-year-old Saffie Roussos.
Saffie is the youngest victim known to have died in the incident, and had been at the concert with her mother, Lisa Roussos, and sister, Ashlee Bromwich, who are being treated in separate hospitals in the Manchester area.
A Polish couple, Angelika and Marcin Klis, who went to the stadium to collect their children, are also among those who died in the attack.
How did people respond?
People across the city leapt into action to help in whatever way they could.
Local businesses and religious groups handed out free food and drink to police officers on patrol, taxi drivers offered free lifts to those in need and residents took to social media to offer rooms for anyone stranded in the city, using the hashtag #RoomforManchester.
Mosques and Sikh temples also opened their doors to those in need and pledged support to all those affected.
By Wednesday afternoon fundraising campaigns from the likes of the Manchester Evening News and The British Red Cross had raised over £1.1 million towards the victims and their families.
How did the Government respond?
All political campaigning for the General Election was suspended and Prime Minister Theresa May described the attack as being “among the worst terrorism we have experienced in the United Kingdom”.
The Government raised the UK terror threat level to “critical”, meaning a further atrocity is expected imminently, saying a “wider group of individuals” could have been involved in the blast.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd said Abedi was known to the intelligence services “up to a point”.
How did the police respond?
Three men were arrested in South Manchester, meaning a total of four people have now been arrested as part of the inquiry into the attack.
A controlled explosion was carried out on Tuesday afternoon as part of an investigation at an address in the Fallowfield area of Manchester.
Extra police have been put on patrol in major towns and cities across the UK, along with additional armed troops at key locations such as Buckingham Palace, Downing Street and embassies.
