LONDON: Britain lowered its securitythreat level to "severe" on Saturday following significantactivity by police investigating the suicide bomb attack on apop concert in Manchester, Prime Minister Theresa May said.
Earlier, police hunting a suspected network behind SalmanAbedi, the bomber who killed 22 people on Monday night, saidthey had made two further arrests overnight as they closed in onother possible cell members.
May said this meant that the independent body which sets thethreat level had decided it should be lowered from its highestrating "critical", which means an attack could be imminent, to"severe".
As a result, soldiers who have been assisting police, wouldbe withdrawn from Britain´s streets from midnight on Monday.
"A significant amount of police activity has taken placeover the last 24 hours and there are now 11 suspects incustody," May said.
"The public should be clear about what this means.
A threatlevel of severe means an attack is highly likely.
The countryshould remain vigilant.
"The threat assessment has now been returned to the level itwas at prior to the Manchester attack.
Officers said they had used a controlled explosion to gainentry to an address in the north of the city where two men weredetained on Saturday.
Some hours later, police cordoned off a large area in theMoss Side area of south Manchester and houses were evacuatedwith a bomb disposal unit sent to the scene.
A man working in a local shop, who declined to be named,told Reuters he saw three men being taken away from the address.
"As part of an ongoing search at a property in Moss Side anevacuation is currently being carried in the area," police saidin a statement.
On Friday, Britain´s most senior counter-terrorism officersaid police were confident that they had made "immense" progressand had apprehended a "large part of the network".
However, extra armed officers will be on duty across thecountry with security stepped up at some 1,300 events over thelong holiday weekend.
The Times newspaper reported on Saturday that intelligenceofficers had identified 23,000 jihahist extremists living inBritain.
Earlier this week a source with knowledge of the matter toldReuters the security services were managing 500 activeoperations involving some 3,000 people who were thought to posea threat.