Breaking News Update: Explosion at Ariana Grande Concert in British
The BBC reports a double figure death toll from a blast that was caught on camera at the Ariana Grande concert in a British Arena. Police are treating the blast as an act of terrorism. A UK bomb disposal team could be seen on site from video of feed of the incident.
Police on the scene stated that they were responding to reports of a loud explosion with a number of unknown casualties and injuries. A citizen at the concert was reported as saying, “We were making our way out and when we were right by the door there was a massive explosion and everybody was screaming.”
More will come on this breaking news story.
Update: Manchester, England May 22
Police say that “at least 19 people are dead and about 50 injured.”
Police are investigating the likelihood that a suicide bomber may have been involved.
More is to come from this breaking news.
May 23, 2017: Update
The British police revealed on Twitter Tuesday that they arrested a 23-year old man in connection with a suicide bomb attack in Manchester.
British authorities reported that Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack at the Manchester Arena. The Islamic State was said to have made the statement on Telegram.
"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 statement said.
Sebastian Diaz, who was at the concert, said: “We ran and people were screaming around us and pushing on the stairs to go outside and people were falling down, girls were crying, and we saw these women being treated by paramedics having open wounds on the legs…it was just chaos.” Diaz said “It was literally just a minute after it (the concert) ended, the lights came on and the bomb went off.”
Monday’s horrific attack was by far the deadliest since the killing of 52 people by British terrorist in the 2005 bombings on London’s transport system. Diamond and Silk sends out prayers to all the families and victims affected by this terrible atrocity.
The bomber in the deadly Manchester blast has been identified by authorities as 22 year old Salman Abedi, a British-Born local university student. Abedi was born in Manchester and grew up in a tight-knit Libyan community that was known for its strong opposition to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. In other words, he had come across the radar of intelligence authorities prior to the bombing.
Authorities discovered that Abedi had just recently become radicalised, although it wasn’t clear exactly when. It was also noted that he worshiped at a local mosque that had, in the past, been accused of fund-raising for jihadists.