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It's not easy to make a viable, stable bomb on your own at home in a western country.
A suicide attack, like the one in Manchester, takes careful planning, preparation and several bits of equipment.
Buying the gear increases the chances of being spotted by security agencies — so does seeking help or instructions online.
It's also bloody dangerous, particularly if you don't know what you're doing.
There's a chance the bomb could detonate unexpectedly during construction or, more likely, that the device won't work.
That's partly why so-called "lone wolf" terrorists have resorted to using trucks, cars and knives as weapons of mass murder.
The atrocities in Nice, Westminster, Berlin and Stockholm took little brain power and skill.
It's also one reason why most security analysts think it's unlikely that Salman Abedi acted entirely alone.
Shrapnel-filled homemade bombs, similar to the device used in Manchester, have been deployed by the Islamic State terrorist group in the Middle East.
So, investigators have repeatedly made clear they are trying to urgently answer a few key questions:
Was the 22-year-old told how to make it?
Or more sinister still, was he provided with it?
And is he part of a group that is still operating in the UK?
After 24 hours of digging, authorities have come to the conclusion that it's impossible to ignore the possibility Abedi was part of a wider cell in Britain.
This is why the terrorism alert level has been raised from severe to critical.
It means authorities believe another attack could be imminent and armed soldiers will now be guarding key landmarks and events in Britain.
For some they'll be a comforting presence.
Others will find them a confronting, worrying reminder of the threat terrorists pose.
Topics: terrorism, law-crime-and-justice, crime, united-kingdom
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