The Islamic State (IS) group yesterday claimed responsibility for a bombing at Manchester Arena in England, 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 10:30pm on Monday, as a concert by US pop star Ariana Grande was ending and crowds had begun to leave.
Pandemonium ensued, as panicked adolescents struggled to connect with parents and guardians waiting outside to pick them up.
Photo: Reuters
As well as those killed, dozens of other people were wounded in the attack; 59 were hospitalized, some with life-threatening injuries.
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 yesterday, police announced that they had arrested a 23-year-old man southwest of the city’s center “with regards to last night’s incident,” but they did not provide additional details.
Photo: Bloomberg
The British government did not make any immediate comment on the claim by the Islamic State group, 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.”
However, Western experts were sceptical, noting it had offered two accounts of the attack partly contradicting each other and the British police version.
As condolences poured in from around the world, authorities in Britain reacted with horror and anger at an attack that appeared to have targeted adolescents and their families.
Photo: AFP
“We now know that 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,” British Prime Minister Theresa May 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,” 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.”
May said police believed they knew the identity of the bomber.
She said security services were working to see if a wider group was involved in the attack, which fell less than three weeks before a national election.
Greater Manchester Police said they had executed warrants in the districts of Whalley Range and Fallowfield, where a controlled explosion took place.
Grande’s European tour, which was due to visit London before dates in Belgium, Poland, Germany, Italy, Portugal and, Spain has been suspended.
From Europe, she was scheduled to head to South America and Mexico before arriving for a show in Tokyo on Aug. 12 to mark the start of the Asian leg of her Dangerous Woman tour.
She is scheduled to perform at the Taipei Arena on Sept. 19.
As of press time last night, there was no word as to whether the Asian portion of her tour would be affected by Monday night’s tragedy.
Additional reporting by Staff writer
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