Manchester police evacuate area near car believed to have bombing link

June 2 (UPI) -- Police in Manchester evacuated homes and businesses Friday on a street where there is a parked car they believe is linked to suspected concert bomber Salman Abedi.

Police told Sky News they found the car, a white Nissan, after an analysis of security cameras in the area showed Abedi nearby in the days leading up to the blast last month, which killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert.

One resident in the area told The Guardian police forced him to leave his apartment and said there was a bomb threat in the area. A 300-foot cordon around the car has been up since Thursday. It's not clear whether any explosives are actually in the vehicle.

Police said they are investigating why they think Abedi left the car on the opposite side of the city from where the bombing took place.

"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," Manchester police chief Russ Jackson said.

Officers have attempted to track Abedi's movements from May 18, when he returned to England from Libya, through the bombing on May 22. Security footage has shown him walking alone in parts of the city with a blue plastic suitcase investigators believe he used to ferry components for the bomb.