Manchester bomber Salman Abedi planned suicide attack for a year and stockpiled nuts and bolts from Screwfix for the device

THE Manchester bomber had been planning the attack for over a year, stockpiling nails and screws from DIY stores bought using a dormant bank account, is has emerged.

Salman Abedi, 22, opened an account a year ago which lay empty until he used it to buy shrapnel for the bomb he used to slaughter 22 and injure dozens more on Monday.

To avoid suspicion, the bomber made at least two separate trips to B&Q and Screwfix in Manchester before heading to Libya in April, The Times reports.

Yesterday it was reported a bomb-making factory had been found inside Abedi's home in Fallowfield, South Manchester.

He is believed to have assembled the device at a city-centre flat rented on Monday before carrying out the atrocity.

On raiding the plush rental flat, cops discovered a huge stock of chemicals and bomb-making components.

The quantities have led to fears at least two other bombs similar to that used on Monday could have been built.

Family and friends paid tribute to their loved ones as the last of the victims was named yesterday, while and cops continued the hunt for other members of the terror cell.

It is believed Abedi may have been given a crucial component for his device at a German airport en route to his terror mission.

Abedi flew to the city from Libyan capital Tripoli — via Istanbul — four days before the atrocity in Manchester.

*An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that the apartment used by suicide bomber Salman Abedi was rented through AirBnB. This was not the case and we are happy to clarify.

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