Here's an update. Police have arrested a man who they believe was helping the suicide bomber.
ISIS Claims Responsibility for Manchester Concert Attack; Toll Rises to 22
The Islamic State claimed responsibility on Tuesday for the bombing at
Manchester Arena, the deadliest terrorist assault in Britain since 2005, as the death toll rose to 22.
The bomb tore through an entrance hall of the 21,000-seat Manchester Arena at about 10:30 p.m. on Monday as a concert by the American pop star Ariana Grande was ending and as
crowds of teenagers had begun to leave, many for an adjacent train station.
Pandemonium ensued, as panicked adolescents struggled to connect with parents and guardians waiting outside to pick them up. As well as those killed, dozens of other people were wounded in the attack; 59 were hospitalized, some with life-threatening injuries.
The police said that they were canvassing leads and poring over surveillance footage to determine if the assailant — who died in the assault — had acted with any accomplices. Shortly before noon on Tuesday, the police announced that they had
arrested a 23-year-old man southwest of the city center “with regards to last night’s incident,” but they did not provide additional details.
The British government did not make any immediate comment on the claim by the Islamic State, which said on the social messaging app Telegram that, “One of the soldiers of the Caliphate was able to place an explosive device within a gathering of the Crusaders in the city of Manchester.” The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militants’ communications, also provided a translation of the claim. The Islamic State statement did not identify the bomber.
As condolences poured in from around the world, the authorities in Britain reacted with horror and anger at an attack that appeared to have targeted adolescents and their families.
“We now know that a single terrorist detonated his improvized explosive device near one of the exits of the venue, deliberately choosing the time and place to cause maximum carnage and to kill and injure indiscriminately,” Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain said in a televised statement.
“The explosion coincided with the conclusion of a pop concert which was attended by many young families and groups of children,” Mrs. May added. “This attack stands out for its appalling, sickening cowardice, deliberately targeting innocent, defenseless children and young people who should have been enjoying one of the most memorable nights of their lives.”
The terrorist attack was the worst in the history of Manchester and northern England, and the worst in Britain since 2005, when 52 people died, along with four assailants, in coordinated attacks on London’s transit system.
Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/23/world/europe/manchester-arena-attack-ariana-grande.html?_r=0
