Manchester Arena suicide bomber tied to al Qaeda: NBC

Salman Abedi, the 22-year-old British man believed to have killed 22 people in a suicidebomb attack in Manchester Arena, had ties to al Qaeda and had received terrorist training abroad, a U.S. intelligence official told NBC News on Tuesday as the United Kingdom raised its terrorist threat level to the highest category.

The U.S. intelligence official, who has direct knowledge of the investigation, said Abedi, whose family is of Libyan descent, was identified by a bank card found in his pocket at the scene of the explosion after an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena, NBC reported.

The highest threat level, which is decided by the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre – a group of experts from the police, government departments and agencies – has only been reached twice before. 22 people died when a suicide bomber detonated and IED in Manchester Arena, England, during a concert of US pop star Ariana Grande. More than 50 people have been injured.