Police investigating the Manchester bombing called in explosives experts after discovering a car they believe may be “significant”, as sources confirmed that they were talking to prosecutors about whether criminal charges can be brought against suspects.

The white Nissan Micra was found in Devell House in Rusholme, near a street that was searched by police officers this week. A 100-metre cordon has been put in place around the Banff Road area and an evacuation is under way, Greater Manchester police said on Friday.

On Thursday, the police said they had been led to the area by studying CCTV as they attempted to establish how, when and where Salman Abedi’s bomb was made.

Police believe Manchester bomber Salman Abedi largely acted alone Read more

The Guardian understands that detectives have also begun discussions with prosecutors about whether criminal charges can be brought.

Detectives still believe Abedi had help in staging his suicide bomb attack on the Manchester Arena, on 22 May, which killed 22 people and injured over 100. The investigation is trying to turn intelligence and analysis amassed on suspects into evidence that can be used in court.

One source said: “You can’t build that bomb from the internet”, a reference to the fact that the device proved so deadly because of the skill needed to pack metal shrapnel into it.



Many items have yet to be examined by investigators and 10 people remain in custody under terrorism legislation. Ten days on, investigators still believe it is “highly unlikely” Abedi carried out every stage of the planning and preparation on his own.

The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed its discussions with the police: “We are giving the police early investigative advice regarding the Manchester attack on 22 May.”

The car detectives were focusing on was parked not far from Manchester Royal Infirmary, but police said the hospital would not be evacuated. However, Ronald McDonald House in Hathersage Road, which provides free accommodation for families whose children are being treated at the hospital, was cleared.

A bomb disposal van was seen arriving at Devell House about four hours after the cordon was erected. It left the area shortly after 5.30pm as a local contractor’s lorry arrived and took the car away. Roads were reopened shortly after and residents cheered as they were allowed back into their homes. A police cordon remained in place in the area directly in front of Devell House. Residents said on social media that the suspicious vehicle was parked in the apartment block’s underground car park.

DCS 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 few months. We are also interested in any information about who may have had access to the car or who may have gone to and from it.”

Police released a series of CCTV images of Abedi – showing him at, among other places, Manchester airport and Granby Row in the city centre – as they gathered information on his final movements between arriving in the UK from Libya on 18 May and when he blew himself up four days later.



Jackson said on Thursday that police inquiries had led them to the Rusholme area. He said: “What we still need to understand is if he had any of the bomb parts in his possession before he went out of the country. This is why we are tracking his movements so carefully.

“We have made a lot of progress in this with the use of CCTV and have received some really helpful calls from the public. This has led us to the Banff Road area in Rusholme. We have had police officers conducting house-to-house inquiries, but we are still not satisfied why Abedi went there, and it’s vital we understand exactly where he went there and who he spoke to in these final days before the attack.

“We need the public’s help in this. If you have previously called and have information, I would urge you to call again. We need your help as we piece together what happened in the lead-up to the attack and if Abedi was helped by anyone.”

Shops on Oxford Road that back on to Devell House have been shut. Customers at a nearby pub were asked to drink up and leave.

A block of student flats on Oxford Road has been also been evacuated. Tyrone Lewis, 23, a criminology student at the University of Manchester, who lives in the block, said the police came and told them to leave with “a sense of urgency”.

He added: “We were told there’s a bomb threat in the area. There’s a car linked to the attack and there might be a bomb in the vicinity.”

Guillaume Trounson, a student at the University of Manchester, was evacuated from his home in Banff Road and told he should expect to be out overnight. Residents were offered shelter at a conference centre in Owens Park, he said. Trounson, 22, said it was the third time he had been asked to leave his house this week, but the first time overnight.

Police have been asking residents whether they have seen anything suspicious, he said. “I went out and asked the officers this morning and they told me I had to evacuate today,” he said. “It’s much bigger activity today. We’ve been told it’s going to be happening all night. We can’t go back to our house tonight.

“The first time they came to our door, they asked us a few questions. They didn’t show us photos of anything suspicious. They just said: ‘Have you seen anything that looks weird?’ They didn’t mention anything about any particular person who had come across the area.”

The latest development in the investigation came as the Duke of Cambridge met police representatives in the city.

Ch Supt Stuart Ellison provided details on how his under-pressure police force would deal with the security and logistics of this weekend’s One Love Manchester memorial concert at the Old Trafford cricket ground and Michael Carrick’s testimonial match at the Old Trafford football ground.



About 130,000 people overall are expected for the two events, and police officers from across the country will be providing support to Greater Manchester police. Armed officers will be present on the day.

“That brings us an extraordinary challenge on the back of an extraordinary week,” Ellison said. He urged football fans and concertgoers not to drive or bring bags as both would have an impact on getting people in and out of the Trafford area and venues.

He added: “We have a significant police response – armed and unarmed – available to support both events from the morning right through to midnight.”

