British police arrested a 23-year-old man, raided a property in southern Manchester and carried out a controlled explosion in another part of the city today in a fast-moving investigation into a suicide bombing at a pop concert.

Twenty-two people were killed, including children, and dozens were wounded in the attack claimed by Islamic State. The blast occurred just after US singer Ariana Grande had finished her concert in front of an audience of mainly young girls in central Manchester.

Greater Manchester Police gave no further details about the arrest but said they had executed warrants in the districts of Whalley Range and Fallowfield, where a controlled explosion took place.

Witnesses in the southern suburb of Whalley Range said armed police had surrounded a newly-built apartment block on an usually quiet tree-lined street.

Mussab Amari said he saw lots of police cars and vans. "They just came in and surrounded everywhere. Everyone was armed."

One resident who has lived in the block for a year said: "A variety of people live here: Arabs, English, Kurds, from lots of different nationalities."

"I think all of them have families," said the man, who declined to be named, standing outside with his partner and son.

Asghar Ali, 51, who lives opposite the building the police had cordoned off, described the street as quiet and "a good area" where rents could reach around US$910 a month.

- Reuters