The Manchester bomber is suspected of being 'remote controlled' by an Isil terror group behind the Paris and Brussels attacks, Libyan security sources have told the Telegraph.
Salman Abedi is understood to have made calls to two mobile phone numbers based in Libya, which were not registered to his family, moments before the massacre that killed 22 people.
"He called two Libyan men before the attack," said the source in Libya.He is being investigated by Libyan authorities over fears he was 'remote controlled' by 'virtual plotters' in the country who coached and goaded him into carrying out the atrocity.
However, British investigators said they believe Abedi was acting alone.
Abedi, 22, has been connected to Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil) terror group Katibat al-Battar al-Libi, based in Libya, which is credited with being behind a number of attacks in Europe, including the Paris attacks which left 129 people dead and dozens injured after coordinated attacks on the Bataclan concert hall and the Saint-Denis Stadium. Two senior US intelligence officials told the New York Timesthat Abedi was in contact with al-Battar members both on his visits to Tripoli and by phone while in the UK.
It comes as US officials said explosives used in the Manchester bombing were the same as those used in the Paris and Brussels attacks.
A security source has told the Telegraph that Abedi made five calls just before setting off the explosion.
After calling his parents separately and speaking to his brother Hashem, his final calls were to two Libyan men who the police are understood to be urgently investigating over their suspected links to the al-Battar terror cell.
"The suspicion is that these guys were also part of the plot and either knew about it beforehand or were actively encouraging Abedi to carry out the attack," said the Libyan security source.
According to Libya security sources, an Islamic School attended by Abedi and his brother Hashem in Libya is a recruiting pool for Al Qaeda and Isil and for foreign fighters.
"They indoctrinate teenagers at this school and then the terrorist recruiters take their pick," said a security source in Tripoli.
It is here that Abedi is thought to have been introduced to the al-Battar Battalion, which included associates of terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi before coming into the control of Isil.
British authorities have been exploring links between Abedi, who grew up in Manchester but had travelled to and from Libya since 2011, with terrorist networks across Europe and north Africa.
Investigators say Abedi's radicalisation began in Manchester, where he was raised by his father Ramadan, who was a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group and linked to Al Qaeda.
It is believed up to 65 al-Battar Battalion fighters have returned to the UK from Libya, more than 40 to France and 30 to Belgium.
"We have been working with European partners including the UK in identifying al-Battar returning fighters and passing their names to the authorities," said a Libyan counter terrorism source.
One of the most prominent members of the al-Battar Battalion is Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who is believed to have masterminded the Paris and Brussels attacks.
Nathaniel Barr, a terrorism analyst at Valens Global who is an expert in virtual plotters, said in similar Isil suicide bombings evidence has been found of communications between the attacker and an invisible plotter miles away from the scene.
“If you look at the communications between the attackers and the virtual plotters, you will see that there is a direct line of communication to the point where they are egging them on minutes, even seconds, before the individual carries out an attack," he told the NYT.
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said they were unable to confirm or deny Abedi's contact with the terror group as it was an ongoing investigation.
On Friday evening, police in Manchester arrested their 17th suspect in connection with the terror attack. The 24-year-old was arrested after the Royal Logistics Corp bomb disposal team were scrambled to a white Nissan Micra parked close to Devell House.
Police said officers were examining the link between the 24-year-old suspect and the Micra. Detective Chief Superintendent Russ Jackson said: "This is potentially a significant development in the investigation."
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