Over 20 dead, 59 injured in Manchester suicide bombing

Manchester, Tuesday

A suicide bombing at a packed Manchester pop concert designed to cause “maximum carnage” killed 22 people including children, in the deadliest terror attack in Britain for more than a decade.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said police know the identity of the bomber, who died in the blast late Monday, and believed he acted alone. However, police arrested a 23-year-old man today morning in connection with the attack.

Screaming fans, many of them teenagers, fled the venue in panic after the explosion at the end of a sold-out concert by US star Ariana Grande in the 21,000-capacity Manchester Arena, in northwestern England.

“A single terrorist detonated his improvised 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,” May said in a statement outside Downing Street after an emergency ministerial meeting.

The blast occurred in the foyer of the indoor arena, a covered area which links the auditorium to Victoria Station, a train and tram hub. Witnesses reported being near the arena’s ticket machines and merchandise stores, as chaos ensued inside the concert hall. While 22 people have been confirmed dead, many of the 59 people injured have life-threatening conditions, May said.

“We know that among those killed and injured were many children and young people,” the prime minister added. Eyewitnesses reported seeing bodies on the floor after the blast around 10.30pm yesterday, and some fans were trampled as panicked crowds tried to flee the venue.

“There were fathers carrying their little girls in tears,” Sebastian Diaz, a 19-year-old from Newcastle, told AFP. The first victim named was Georgina Callander, an 18-year-old from Lancashire in northwest England, whose death was announced by her college.

The attack was the deadliest in Britain since July 7, 2005 when four suicide bombers inspired by Al-Qaeda attacked London’s transport system during rush hour, killing 52 people and wounding 700 more.

It revived memories of the November 2015 attack at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris in which armed men wearing explosive belts stormed in and killed 90 people. That attack was claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

US President Donald Trump led condolences from political leaders across the globe, as well as stars from the world of music and football. “So many young, beautiful, innocent people living and enjoying their lives murdered by evil losers,” Trump said during a visit to Bethlehem.

Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned a “cynical, inhuman crime” and offered to boost anti-terrorism cooperation with Britain. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron also expressed condolences. -AFP

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