Concert carnage as bomb kills 22
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THE Islamic State group yesterday claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in the UK city of Manchester that left 22 people dead and sparked a stampede of young concertgoers, some still wearing the American pop star’s trademark kitten ears and holding pink balloons.
Teenage screams filled the Manchester Arena just after the explosion on Monday night, and members of the audience tumbled over guardrails and each other to escape.
An 8-year-old girl was among the dead — the youngest known victim — and the child’s mother and sister were among 59 people wounded in what British Prime Minister Theresa May called “a callous terrorist attack.” The wounded included 12 children under 16.
“We struggle to comprehend the warped and twisted mind that sees a room packed with young children not as a scene to cherish but as an opportunity for carnage,” May said as campaigning for Britain’s June 8 general election was suspended.
May and police said the bomber died in the attack — something that went unmentioned in Islamic State’s claim of responsibility, which gave no name for the attacker.
The suspected suicide bomber has been identified as Salman Abedi, US officials told Reuters.
Two of the officials who have been in contact with British authorities said the suspect has been identified as Salman Abedi or Salman Ramadan Abedi and was believed to have traveled to Manchester from London by train, Reuters said.
British police said yesterday they had arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with the bombing and raided two locations, carrying out a controlled explosion at one of them.
The attack was the deadliest in Britain since four suicide bombers killed 52 London commuters on subway trains and a bus in July 2005.
The attack sparked a nightlong search for loved ones — parents for the children they had accompanied or had been waiting to pick up, and friends for each other after groups were scattered by the blast. Twitter and Facebook lit up with heartbreaking appeals for the missing.
Some fans said security was haphazard before the show, with some people being searched and others allowed inside unhindered. The bombing took place at the end of the concert, when the audience was streaming toward the exits of Manchester Arena, one of the largest indoor concert venues in the world.
Witnesses said the blast scattered bolts and other bits of metal, indicating the bomb may have contained shrapnel intended to maximize injuries and deaths.
“There was this massive bang. And then everyone just went really quiet. And that’s when the screaming started,” said 25-year-old Ryan Molloy. “As we came outside to Victoria Station, there were just people all over the floor covered in blood. My partner was helping to try to stem the blood from this one person ... they were pouring blood from their leg. It was just awful.”
As police shut down public transport, Manchester residents opened their hearts. Taxis offered to give stranded people free rides home while some residents opened their homes to provide lodging.
Grande, who was not injured in the blast, tweeted hours later: “broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don’t have words.”
May said authorities believe they had identified the attacker, but did not release his name. She said authorities were trying to determine if he had an accomplice.
Police cars, bomb-disposal units and 60 ambulances raced to the scene as the scale of the carnage became clear.
“A huge bomb-like bang went off that hugely panicked everyone and we were all trying to flee the arena,” said 22-year-old fan Majid Khan. “Everyone from the other side of the arena where the bang was heard from suddenly came running toward us as they were trying to exit.”
The city’s regional government and its mayor, Andy Burnham, were among scores of Twitter users who circulated the MissinginManchester hashtag, used by people looking for family members and friends.
The first confirmed victim was Georgina Callander, whose death was reported by her former school.
Bishop Rawstorne Church of England Academy in Croston, northwest of Manchester, posted a photo of Georgina on its website, smiling and looking smart in her school uniform. It described her as “a lovely young student who was very popular with her peers and the staff.”
Saffie Roussas, aged 8, was the youngest of the 22 victims identified so far. The head teacher of the primary school she attended in the village of Tarleton, Lancashire, described Saffie as “simply a beautiful little girl in every aspect of the word. She was loved by everyone and her warmth and kindness will be remembered fondly. Saffie was quiet and unassuming with a creative flair.”
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 yesterday in a fast-moving investigation.
Greater Manchester Police gave no further details about the arrest but said they had executed warrants in the districts of Whalley Range and Fallowfield, 4.8 kilometers south of the city center, where the controlled explosion took place.
Police sealed off an entrance to dozens of terraced houses in Fallowfield, where a witness said armed police surrounded a property.
“Police ... gained entry to the property using an explosive charge to take the door off,” said Neville Edwards, 32, whose mother’s house backs onto the property which was raided.
“Within moments of that there were reports of a gentleman being whisked off.”
In Whalley Range, witnesses said armed police surrounded a newly built apartment block on a 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.”
A resident of the block said: “A variety of people live here. Arabs, English, Kurds, from lots of different nationalities.”
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