(MANCHESTER) — British Prime Minister Theresa May says the country's threat level from terrorism had been reduced from its top level of "critical," which indicates an attack is imminent.

May says it now stands at "severe," meaning an attack is highly likely.

The level was raised to critical after Monday's bomb attack in Manchester, which killed 22 people.

May says major progress has been made in the investigation but that people should remain vigilant. </s> London- British Prime Minister Theresa May announced Saturday that Britain had reduced its terror threat level from critical to severe, having raised it after Monday`s Manchester bombing.

"A significant amount of police action has taken place over the last 24 hours and there are now 11 suspects in custody," May said in a statement.

"In the light of the developments, the independent joint terrorism analysis centre has this morning taken the decision to reduce the threat level from critical to severe." </s> The UK's terror threat level has been reduced from "critical" to "severe", Theresa May has said.

It means that an attack is now "highly likely" instead of expected "imminently".

On Tuesday the Prime Minister put the terror threat level up to critical in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombing on Monday night.

But today Mrs May said armed soldiers will be withdrawn from the streets at midnight on Monday.

Operation Temperer, which allows the military to be deployed to key sites, will continue until the end of the bank holiday, the Prime Minister said.

Speaking after a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee, she said the decision had been taken after "a significant amount of police activity" over the last 24 hours.

She said: "The public should be clear about what this means - a threat level of severe means an attack is highly likely. The country should remain vigilant."

It comes as Met Police chief Mark Rowley insisted the terror cell behind murderous Salman Abedi ’s attack has been smashed.

He urged Brits to enjoy the bank holiday weekend, as officers continue to look into how the warped maniac ended up killing 22 people, including seven children at a gig on Monday.

Hospitals were still on high alert after the threat level was raised to critical, armed police are also ­patrolling trains and even beaches.

Bank Holiday weather: Britain to roast in soaring temperatures before thunderstorms on Monday

Officers reviewed security at more than 1,300 events this weekend. But Assistant Commissioner Mr Rowley said police had snared a “large part of the network” that supported Abedi, 22.

He added: “Enjoy yourselves. We can’t let the terrorists win by dissuading us from going about our normal business.

“There will be extra officers on duty, and that will include hundreds of armed officers. Extra firearms officers have been out on streets because we have backfilled guarding posts at key places with ­military personnel. Their ­presence at these sites will continue throughout the weekend.”

On smashing the terror cell, he added: “We are very happy we’ve got our hands around some of the key players that we are concerned about.

“There still remain important lines of inquiry for us to pursue. We’ve got to understand everything about the terrorist, his associates, the whole network and how they acquired and built the bomb.

“We have made enormous progress but there are still some really ­important lines of inquiry to follow through.”

Security minister Ben Wallace said there is no specific threat against an individual event at the moment.

But additional armed officers will be at events such as this evening’s FA Cup Final at Wembley between Chelsea and Arsenal. </s> The terror threat level has been reduced as fresh arrests and raids have been carried out linked to the Manchester suicide bombing.

Troops will be gradually withdrawn from Britain's streets from Monday onwards, having been drafted in to bolster police numbers, Prime Minister Theresa May said.

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) increased the terror threat level to "critical" - its highest level - meaning a further terror attack was considered "imminent".

It has now been reduced to "severe", meaning an attack is "highly likely".

Speaking after a meeting of the government's Cobra emergency committee, Mrs May said the decision had been taken after "a significant amount of police activity" over the last 24 hours.

She said: "The public should be clear about what this means - a threat level of severe means an attack is highly likely. The country should remain vigilant."

The massacre at the Manchester Arena carried out by Salman Abedi, in which 22 people were killed, was the worst terrorist atrocity to hit Britain since the July 7 attacks in London in 2005.

The terror threat had been at critical for the first time in a decade.

Mrs May also said Operation Temperer, allowing the military to be deployed to protect key sites, will be rolled back after the Bank Holiday.

She said: "To provide maximum reassurance to the public Operation Temperer will continue to operate until the Bank Holiday concludes.

"Then from midnight on Monday onwards there will be a well planned and gradual withdrawal of members of the armed forces who will return to normal duties." </s> Britain’s threat level has been downgraded to ‘severe’, Theresa May has said.

The terror threat level has been reduced as fresh arrests and raids have been carried out linked to the Manchester suicide bombing.

Troops will be gradually withdrawn from the streets from Monday onwards, having been drafted in to bolster police numbers, Prime Minister Theresa May said.

The Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre (JTAC) increased the terror threat level to “critical” - its highest level - meaning a further terror attack was considered “imminent”.

Troops on streets as UK terror threat level raised to ‘critical’

It has now been reduced to “severe”, meaning an attack is “highly likely”.

Speaking after a meeting of the government’s Cobra emergency committee, Mrs May said the decision had been taken after “a significant amount of police activity” over the last 24 hours.

She said: “The public should be clear about what this means - a threat level of severe means an attack is highly likely. The country should remain vigilant.”

The massacre at the Manchester Arena carried out by Salman Abedi, in which 22 people were killed, was the worst terrorist atrocity to hit Britain since the July 7 attacks in London in 2005.

The terror threat had been at critical for the first time in a decade.

Mrs May also said Operation Temperer, allowing the military to be deployed to protect key sites, will be rolled back after the Bank Holiday.

She said: “To provide maximum reassurance to the public Operation Temperer will continue to operate until the Bank Holiday concludes.

“Then from midnight on Monday onwards there will be a well planned and gradual withdrawal of members of the armed forces who will return to normal duties.”

The de-escalation came as a street in Manchester’s Moss Side was evacuated by counter-terror officers.

Boscombe Street was said to been cleared on Saturday morning, with one witness describing a bomb-disposal van parked at the junction with Yew Tree Road.

An address in the area was being searched by detectives as they sought to close the net on the suspected terror cell behind Abedi.

Yamma Wu, 29, said she had been ordered not to leave her house by officers.

“I can see police cars outside the street and they are not allowing people out or in and there is an evacuation in this area, but because I have got a little baby with me they told me I could say inside, but I could not go out,” she told the media. </s> Britain was braced for further terrorist attacks following the Manchester atrocity as Theresa May said the threat level was being raised to its highest possible rating.

In a live televised statement from Downing Street, the Prime Minister said the terror threat level would be increased to “critical”, meaning an attack was expected imminently as it was possible a “wider group of individuals” could have been involved in the Manchester Arena attack rather than just suicide bomber Salman Abedi.

In a sign of the increased threat, the military could be deployed to support armed police officers, Mrs May said.

Monday night’s attack at a concert by US pop star Ariana Grande left 22 people dead, including an eight-year-old girl, and dozens injured.

Speaking at Number 10, Mrs May said: “The spirit of Manchester and the spirit of Britain is far mightier than the sick plots of depraved terrorists. That is why the terrorists will never win and we will prevail.”

Mrs May will chair a meeting of the Government’s emergency Cobra committee at 9.30am on Wednesday, Downing Street has announced.

The suicide bomber has been named as Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old man believed to have been born in Manchester and of Libyan descent.

Abedi studied business at Salford University but dropped out before completing his degree.

He is thought to have attended the Manchester Islamic Centre, also known as Didsbury Mosque, along with his parents and siblings.

A family friend, who asked not to be named, described him as “normal” and said they were known to the Libyan community in the city.

He told the Press Association: “He was always friendly, nothing to suggest (he was violent). He was normal, to be honest.”

Abedi was named after armed officers carried out a raid on the red brick semi in south Manchester where he was registered as living.

The terror threat level was increased after investigations revealed Abedi may not have acted alone.

Mrs May said: “The work undertaken throughout the day has revealed that it is a possibility we cannot ignore that there is a wider group of individuals linked to this attack.

“This morning I said that the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre, the independent organisation responsible for setting the threat level on the basis of the intelligence available, was keeping the threat level under constant review.

“It has now concluded, on the basis of today’s investigations, that the threat level should be increased for the time being from severe to critical.

“This means that their assessment is not only that an attack remains highly likely, but that a further attack may be imminent.”

The Prime Minister said Operation Temperer – allowing military personnel to take to the streets – was now in force.

“This means that armed police officers responsible for duties such as guarding key sites will be replaced by members of the armed forces, which will allow the police to significantly increase the number of armed officers on patrol in key locations.

“You might also see military personnel deployed at certain events such as concerts and sports matches, helping the police to keep the public safe.” </s> The UK's terror threat level has been reduced from critical to severe, Theresa May has said.

This means the likelihood of an attack is highly likely rather than imminent.

Operation Temperer, which allows the military to be deployed to key sites, will continue until the end of the Bank Holiday, the Prime Minister said. </s> MANCHESTER, England, May 24 (Reuters) - Soldiers were being deployed to key sites in Britain on Wednesday to prevent attacks after the terror threat level was raised to its highest level following a suicide bombing in Manchester that killed 22 people, including children.

Prime Minister Theresa May announced late on Tuesday that the threat level was now considered "critical", meaning an attack may be imminent.

Police had earlier named British-born Salman Abedi, 22, as the perpetrator of the bombing at the Manchester Arena indoor venue at the end of a concert by U.S. pop singer Ariana Grande on Monday, attended by thousands of children and teenagers.

The bombing wounded 59 people. Some have life-threatening injuries.

"This is a fast moving investigation and we continue to have significant resources in place," Deputy Chief Constable Ian Pilling of Greater Manchester Police said.

"Raising the threat level to critical ... will support our ongoing operation," he said in a statement.

The Manchester attack was the deadliest in Britain since July 2005, when four British Muslim suicide bombers killed 52 people in coordinated attacks on London's transport network.

U.S. security sources, citing British intelligence officials, said Abedi was born in Manchester to parents of Libyan origin.

May said it was possible a wider group was linked to the bombing, prompting the deployment of troops a little more than two weeks before a national election.

An independent body which sets the threat level recommended it be raised to "critical" from "severe" for the first time since June 2007.

"This means that their assessment is not only that an attack remains highly likely but that a further attack may be imminent," May said in a televised statement from her Downing Street Office after a meeting of the government's crisis response committee.

"Armed police officers responsible for duties such as guarding key sites will be replaced by members of the armed forces ... You might also see military personnel deployed at certain events, such as concerts and sports matches."

Britain's top anti-terrorism officer Mark Rowley said events would only go ahead when it was safe to do so and the decision to raise the threat level had been made on a "precautionary basis" due to gaps in police knowledge while the investigation continues.

He told reporters he hoped that, as has previously been the case, the level would not stay at critical for a long period. </s> The UK terror threat level has been reduced from critical, back to severe, the Prime Minister announced on Saturday.

The level was increased following Monday’s Manchester Arena bombing which resulted in 22 deaths, due to fears another attack was imminent.

Operation Temperer, which allows the military to be deployed to key sites, will continue until the end of the bank holiday, Theresa May said.

Eleven people are now being held in connection with the bombing which happened at the end of a concert by Ariana Grande.

The development came as a vast security operation began to protect hundreds of Spring Bank Holiday events across Britain this weekend.

More than 1,000 armed police are on standby as major spectacles, including the FA Cup Final at Wembley and the Premiership Rugby Final at Twickenham, are expected to draw tens of thousands of people into public spaces on Saturday.

Despite the country being placed on critical alert, police have urged people to go out and enjoy themselves.

Britain’s senior counter-terror officer said “immense” progress had been made in the probe into the associates of suicide bomber Salman Abedi and a “large part” of his suspected network had been dismantled.
Prime Minister Theresa May says the government has raised its terrorism threat level to critical, the highest level, which indicates another attack may be imminent.