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Manchester Arena bombing

Coordinates: 53°29′17.3″N 2°14′34″W / 53.488139°N 2.24278°W / 53.488139; -2.24278
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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by TeekeeyMisha (talk | contribs) at 13:39, 25 May 2017 (→‎Aftermath: It's correct name is just "Manchester Arndale" and "shopping mall" is not a UK-Eng term.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the 2017 bombing. For the 1992 bombing, see 1992 Manchester bombing. For the 1996 bombing, see 1996 Manchester bombing.

2017 Manchester Arena bombing
The exterior of the arena in 2010
Manchester Arena bombing is located in Greater Manchester
Manchester Arena
Manchester Arena
Manchester Arena bombing (Greater Manchester)
Manchester Arena bombing is located in the United Kingdom
Manchester Arena bombing
Manchester Arena bombing (the United Kingdom)
LocationManchester, England
Coordinates53°29′17.3″N 2°14′34″W / 53.488139°N 2.24278°W / 53.488139; -2.24278
Date22 May 2017 (2017-05-22)
around 22:30 (BST)
TargetConcert-goers
Attack type
Suicide bombing
Deaths23 (including the attacker)
Injured~120
AssailantsSalman Ramadan Abedi

On 22 May 2017, a suicide bombing was carried out at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, after a concert by American singer Ariana Grande. The attacker was identified by police as Salman Ramadan Abedi, a 22-year-old British-born citizen of Libyan descent who detonated an improvised explosive device as concertgoers were leaving the arena. He killed 23 people, including himself, and injured around 120 others.

Attack

On 22 May 2017, at around 22:30 BST (UTC+01:00),[1] a suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device packed with nuts and bolts in the foyer area of the Manchester Arena. The attack took place after an Ariana Grande concert that was part of her 2017 Dangerous Woman Tour.[2][3] The concert was sold out, and up to 21,000 people may have attended.[4] Many of the people were exiting through the foyer at the time of the explosion and were gathered there to buy concert merchandise.[5][6]

Greater Manchester Police declared the incident a terrorist attack, identifying it as a suicide bombing. It was the deadliest attack in the United Kingdom since the 7 July 2005 London bombings and the first in Manchester since the 1996 bombing by the Provisional IRA.[citation needed]

Aftermath

About three hours after the bombing, a controlled explosion was conducted by police on a suspicious item in Cathedral Gardens,[7] later found to be an item of clothing.[8]

Residents and taxi companies in Manchester offered free transport or accommodation via Twitter to those left stranded at the concert.[5] Parents of children attending the concert were separated in the aftermath of the explosion. A nearby hotel served as a shelter for children displaced by the bombing, with their parents being directed there by officials.[9]

Manchester Victoria railway station, which is partly underneath the arena, was evacuated and closed, and services were cancelled. Victoria railway station remained closed for several days.[2][10]

Scenes of panic were reported when the Arndale shopping centre was evacuated for a time during an unrelated arrest on the day following the attack.[11] On Wednesday, 24 May, a radio BBC 5 studio was evacuated at 2:00 pm while live on air, as was a departure-level drop off at Terminal 1 of Manchester Airport. A second brief evacuation of a Salford University building occurred at about 4:00 pm.[12]

After a COBRA meeting with Greater Manchester's Chief Constable, Ian Hopkins, Prime Minister Theresa May announced that the UK's terror threat level was being raised to "critical", its highest level.[13] Operation Temperer was then activated for the first time, allowing up to 5,000 soldiers to reinforce armed police in protecting parts of the country.[14][15] Tours of the Houses of Parliament and the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace were cancelled on the following day. Soldiers were deployed to guard Downing Street and other government buildings in London.[16]

Casualties

Police said 23 people, including the suicide bomber, were killed in the blast and at least 120 others were injured.[17][18] The youngest killed was eight years old.[19] North West Ambulance Service reported that 60 of its ambulances attended the scene, and carried 59 people to local hospitals and treating a number of walking wounded on site.[20] Of the hospitalised, 12 were reported to be children under the age of 16.[7]

Attacker

File:Salman Ramadan Abedi, suicide attacker in the Manchester Arena bombing.jpg
Salman Ramadan Abedi, who carried out the suicide bomb attack in Manchester

The suicide bomber, Salman Ramadan Abedi, was a 22-year-old British man of Sunni Muslim faith.[21] He was born in Manchester on 31 December 1994 to a family of refugees from Libya who had settled in south Manchester.[22][23] He grew up in the Whalley Range area and lived in Fallowfield, a suburb of Manchester.[24]

He was known to British security services, but was not regarded as a high risk.[25] Two people who knew Abedi had called a hotline five years before the bombing to warn police about his views and that members of Britain’s Libyan diaspora have "warned authorities for years" about Manchester's Islamist radicalisation.[26][27][28]

Abedi's parents, both born in Tripoli, returned to Libya in 2011 following Muammar Gaddafi’s death,[24] while Abedi stayed in the United Kingdom. In 2014, Abedi enrolled at the University of Salford, where he studied business management before dropping out. According to an acquaintance of his, Abedi's parents had become worried of his radicalisation during their stay in Libya. They seized his British passport, but later returned it after Abedi deceived them by claiming that he was going to visit the Islamic holy city of Mecca.[29] Abedi, his brother and his father worshipped at Didsbury Mosque.[25][24] A senior person at the mosque recalled that Abedi looked at him "with hate" after he preached against ISIS and Ansar al-Sharia in 2015.[30] Two days after the attack, Abedi's father and younger brother were arrested by security forces in Tripoli.[31]

Abedi's sister said he may have been motivated by revenge for Muslim children killed by American airstrikes in Syria.[32][33]

He had reportedly been involved with gangs and later Islamist extremism before the bombing, and French interior minister Gérard Collomb said that "he had links with Islamic State and had probably visited Syria as well".[34] According to German intelligence, Abedi had returned to the UK from Turkey 4 days prior to the attack; Turkey is often used as part of a route to Syria.[35] It has been UK policy, leading up to the attack, to allow ISIS fighters returning from Syria to remain at large within the UK.[36]

Investigation

The property in Fallowfield where Abedi lived became a focus of the police investigation following the bombing. Armed police breached the house with a controlled explosion and searched it. Abedi's 23-year-old brother Ismael was arrested in Chorlton-cum-Hardy in south Manchester in relation to the attack.[37][38] Police carried out operations[clarification needed] in two other areas of south Manchester and another address in the Whalley Range area.[38] Three other men were arrested, and police talked about a likely "network" supporting the bomber.[26]

Following the emergence of information that he had recently returned from Syria, intelligence agencies are attempting to establish whether Abedi acted alone, or whether he was part of a terrorist network.[39][40] The French interior minister, Gérard Collomb, told a French TV channel that Abedi had gone to Syria and had "proven" links with ISIS. Abedi's father and younger brother were arrested by the Libyan authorities on 23 and 24 May respectively. His brother was suspected of planning an attack in Libya and was said to be in regular touch with Salman and aware of the plan to bomb the Manchester Arena.[41]

Photographs of the remains of the IED published by The New York Times indicated that it had comprised an explosive charge inside a lightweight metal container which was carried within a black vest or a blue Karrimor backpack. Most of the fatalities occurred in a ring around the bomber. His torso was propelled by the blast through the doors to the arena, possibly indicating that the explosive charge was held in the backpack and blew him forward on detonation. A small device thought to have possibly been a hand-held detonator was also found.[42]. USA Congressman Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, indicated that the bomb contained the explosive TATP, which has been used in previous bombings. [43]

American leaks

Within hours of the attack, Abedi's name and other information given confidentially to security services in the United States and France was leaked to the news media, leading to condemnation from Home Secretary Amber Rudd.[44][45] The BBC reported that the UK government and police reacted with "fury" following the publication of apparent photos of the attack site by a US newspaper, and of the evidence later published by the New York Times, saying that the release of the material was detrimental to the investigation.[46] On 25 May, Greater Manchester Police said that it had stopped sharing information on the attack with the US intelligence services. Prime Minister Theresa May said she would make clear to President Trump that "intelligence that has been shared must be made secure."[47]

Reactions

Main article: Reactions to the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing

Domestic

Prime Minister Theresa May and Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn both condemned the bombing,[48][49] while the Queen expressed her sympathy to the families of the victims.[50] Campaigning for the general election was suspended by all political parties for two days after the attack.[51][52] The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, called the attack "evil"[53] and announced a vigil to be held in Albert Square the following evening.[54] Burnham, Corbyn, Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow and Home Secretary Amber Rudd were in attendance.[55] British Muslim groups, such as the Muslim Council of Britain[56][57][58] condemned the attack.

International

Condolences were expressed by the leaders and governments of dozens of countries,[59] United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres,[60] Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland,[61] President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker,[62] Pope Francis,[63] and Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation Yousef Al-Othaimeen.[64]

Ariana Grande posted on her official Twitter account: " broken. from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words."[65] Grande subsequently suspended her tour and returned home to Florida.[66][67]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Fans criticise Manchester Arena security after terror attack at Ariana Grande concert". The Independent. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Deaths confirmed after Manchester Arena blast reports". BBC News. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  3. ^ "Police: "Confirmed fatalities" after reports of explosion at Manchester Arena". CBS News. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  4. ^ "Manchester Arena explosion: What we know so far". Sky News. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  5. ^ a b Malkin, Bonnie (22 May 2017). "Manchester attack: city mobilises to help concert-goers with offers of rooms and free rides". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  6. ^ "British prime minister raises nation's threat level, saying another attack 'may be imminent'". Washington Post. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Manchester Arena attack: 22 dead and 59 hurt". BBC News. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  8. ^ "Isis claim responsibility for the Manchester attack that killed 22". Metro. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  9. ^ Smith, Rory; Chan, Sewell (23 May 2017). "Explosion, Panic and Death at Ariana Grande Concert in England". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  10. ^ "Deaths, injuries after reports of explosion at Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena: Police". ABC News. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  11. ^ Pesic, Alex (23 May 2017). "Manchester Arndale shopping centre evacuated – live updates". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  12. ^ Rucki, Alexandra. "Manchester Arena Bombing – Live". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  13. ^ "Latest updates as UK terror threat level raise". BBC News. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  14. ^ "PM Theresa May raises UK threat level to 'critical'". ITV News. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017. Raising the level to critical means that military personnel could be deployed to support armed police officers – part of a plan known as Operation Temperer.
  15. ^ Alan Travis [@alantravis40] (23 May 2017). "PM says Critical Threat level's Operation Temperer will use up to 5,000 troops to take over armed police patrol duties under police command" (Tweet). Retweeted by The Guardian – via Twitter.
  16. ^ Bennhold, Katrin; Castle, Stephen (24 May 2017). "3 Men Arrested in Investigation of Manchester Bombing". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  17. ^ "22 dead, 120 injured in suicide bomber attack at Manchester Arena and three victims named – live updates". Manchester Evening News. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  18. ^ Eden, Tom (23 May 2017). "Manchester bombing attack: UK terror alert raised from 'severe' to 'critical' as 22 dead and 120 injured in atrocity". chronicle.live.com. Evening Chronicle. Retrieved 23 May 2017. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ "Who are the victims of the Manchester terror attack?". telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  20. ^ Phipps, Claire (23 May 2017). "Soldiers on British streets as threat level raised to critical – as it happened". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 May 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  21. ^ "The Manchester bomber was a promising young man who went off the rails, says a religious leader who knew him". Newsweek. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  22. ^ "Manchester attack: Who was Salman Abedi?". bbc.com. BBC. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  23. ^ Evans, Martin; Ward, Victoria (23 May 2017). "Salman Abedi named as the Manchester suicide bomber – what we know about him". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 May 2017. his parents were Libyan refugees who came to the UK to escape the Gaddafi regime
  24. ^ a b c Evans, Martin; Ward, Victoria (23 May 2017). "Salman Abedi named as the Manchester suicide bomber – what we know about him". The Daily Telegraph. London. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  25. ^ a b "Manchester Arena attacker named by police as Salman Ramadan Abedi". The Guardian. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  26. ^ a b "Manchester attack: Police hunt 'network' behind bomber". BBC News. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  27. ^ Nagesh, Ashitha (24 May 2017). "Muslim community worker 'warned officers about Manchester bomber five years ago'". Metro. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  28. ^ Stephen, Chris (24 May 2017). "Libyans in UK 'warned about Manchester radicalisation for years'". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  29. ^ "Police Investigate 'Network' of Salman Abedi, Manchester Bomber". The New York Times. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  30. ^ Cobain, Ian; Perraudin, Frances; Morris, Steven; Parveen, Nazia (23 May 2017). "Salman Ramadan Abedi named by police as Manchester Arena attacker". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  31. ^ Ensor, Josie (24 May 2017). "Father and brother of Manchester bomber arrested in Libya". The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  32. ^ "Salman Abedi 'wanted revenge' for US air strikes in Syria, Manchester bomber's sister says". The Telegraph. Retrieved 25 May 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  33. ^ Morajea, Hassan; Kantchev, Georgi; Bird, Mike; Gold, Riva (25 May 2017). "Manchester Bomber Believed Muslims Were Mistreated, Sought Revenge". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 25 May 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  34. ^ Bruce, Michael Holden and Andy. "Manchester bomber was part of a network – police". Reuters UK. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  35. ^ "Manchester bomber flew from Turkey before attack, German intelligence says". Financial Times. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  36. ^ Hopkins, Nick; MacAskill, Ewen (23 May 2017). "UK 'vulnerable to terror attacks by jihadis unable to reach Syria'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  37. ^ Simpson, Fiona (23 May 2017). "Manchester attack: Bombing suspect named as Salman Abedi, police confirm". Evening Standard. London. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  38. ^ a b Jones, Sam; Haddou, Leila; Bounds, Andrew (23 May 2017). "Manchester suicide bomber named as 22-year-old from city". Financial Times. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  39. ^ Gibbons, Katie; Swerling, Gabriella; O'Neill, Sean; Hamilton, Fiona (24 May 2017). "Manchester bomber Salman Abedi had 'proven' links with Islamic State". The Times. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  40. ^ Miller, Nick (24 May 2017). "UK on highest alert: Three more arrested amid hunt for active terrorist cell after Manchester bomb". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  41. ^ Witte, Griff; Adam, Karla; Raghavan, Sudarsan (24 May 2017). "Younger brother of Manchester bomber was 'planning to stage an attack' in Libya, authorities say". Washington Post. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  42. ^ Chivers, C.L. (24 May 2017). "Found at the Scene in Manchester: Shrapnel, a Backpack and a Battery". The New York Times. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  43. ^ "Manchester attack latest: U.S. lawmaker says U.K. bomb showed 'sophistication'". CTVNews. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  44. ^ "Manchester attack: US leaks about bomber irritating – Rudd". BBC News. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  45. ^ Ewen MacAskill in London and Julian Borger in Washington (24 May 2017). "US officials leak more Manchester details hours after UK rebuke". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  46. ^ "Manchester attack: 'Fury' at US 'evidence' photos leak". BBC News Online. BBC. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  47. ^ "Manchester attack: Police 'not sharing information with US'". BBC News. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017.
  48. ^ "Manchester Arena attack: What we know so far". BBC News. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  49. ^ "Jeremy Corbyn pays tribute to victims of Manchester terror attack". The Daily Telegraph. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  50. ^ Jenny.minard (23 May 2017). "A message from Her Majesty The Queen to the Lord-Lieutenant of Greater Manchester". The Royal Family. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  51. ^ "Campaigning suspended as world leaders pay respects". ITV News. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017. Leaders of political parties did not hesitate to suspend General Election campaigning in the wake of the terror attack in Manchester. ... Campaigning for the 8 June vote will remain suspended for a second day on Wednesday.
  52. ^ "General election campaigning suspended after Manchester attack". The Guardian. London. 22 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  53. ^ "Andy Burnham says spirit of Manchester will prevail after 'evil act'". London Evening Standard. 23 May 2017.
  54. ^ "Manchester Arena explosion: Latest updates". BBC News. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  55. ^ Edwards, Peter. "Corbyn attends Manchester vigil and insists: "Our hearts are broken but our resolve has never been stronger"". Labour List. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  56. ^ "Manchester Arena bombing: Everything we know about the suicide attack that killed at least 22 people". The Independent. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  57. ^ "Muslim Council of Britain 'horrified' at Manchester attack". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 25 May 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  58. ^ "Anschlag in Manchester: Briten gedenken der Opfer des Selbstmordattentats". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in Swiss High German). 25 May 2017. ISSN 0376-6829. Retrieved 25 May 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  59. ^ Palazzo, Chiara. "'An attack on innocents': World reacts with shock and horror to Manchester explosion". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  60. ^ "UN chief strongly condemns terrorist attack on Manchester concert". 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  61. ^ "Statement by Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland on terror attack in Manchester". 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  62. ^ "Statement by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker following the attack in Manchester". 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  63. ^ "Pope Francis offers condolences to Manchester attack victims". Catholic Herald. 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  64. ^ "OIC Secretary General Condemns the Deadly Attack in Manchester, the United Kingdom". 23 May 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  65. ^ Ariana Grande [@ArianaGrande] (23 May 2017). "broken. from the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don't have words" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  66. ^ "Ariana Grande Suspends Tour After Manchester Attack". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
  67. ^ "Ariana Grande Returns Home to Florida After Manchester Concert Attack". US Weekly. Retrieved 23 May 2017.
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