2017 Manchester Arena Bombing

Manchester Arena Bombing occurred at about 10:30PM on 22 May 2017 at the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England. Here a suicide bomber kills 22 and injures 119 by detonating ball bearing bomb at packed Ariana Grande concert. Witnesses told of nuts and bolts tearing into young music fans when the blast was detonated in the foyer area of the Manchester Arena moments after a concert by US popstar Ariana Grande ended. The bomb went off in a packed foyer area at a time when mothers and fathers were leaving the venue with their children and other parents were arriving to pick up groups of youngsters.


 * Teenage fan who had once met the popstar was the first person named as a victim of the bomb blast
 * Video footage showed thousands fleeing in tears from the venue, many covered in blood, when gig ended
 * Horrifying video footage showed petrified children leaping over chairs and barriers as they tried to escape
 * Police confirmed the suicide bomber died at the venue after an improvised explosive device was detonated
 * US security sources say he travelled to the arena by public transport. Another man, 23, has also been arrested
 * 23-year-old Grande tweeted: 'Broken. From the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don't have words'
 * Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn suspended election campaigning and said thoughts were with the victims

The Attack
The concert had just ended and arena lights had just switched on and crowds began filing to the several exit tunnels. The first bomb detonated in the exit tunnel leading to the adjacent Arena Train Station targeting concert goers in condensed mass.

At approximately 01:32 BST, a subsequent controlled explosion was conducted by police on a suspicious item in Cathedral Gardens.[7] The item was later found to be clothing that had been left behind.

Residents and taxi companies in Manchester offered free transport or accommodation via Twitter to those left stranded at the concert.[6] 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 separated parents being directed there by officials.[15]

Manchester Victoria railway station, which is partly underneath the arena, was evacuated and closed, and services were cancelled. Victoria continued to be closed into the following day.

Victims
This attack was particularly appalling for targeting young children and families attending a pop dance concert. Manchester Arena has a capacity for over 20,000 people and was pretty well attended at this event. Photos of the injured show many with shrapnel type injuries consistent with a nail or ball-bearing bomb.

Hundreds of people are now desperately trying to track down loved ones who went missing in the aftermath of the attack, with police having to tell some parents their children have died. 22 Killed and about 119 injured - 59 were taken to hospital - of which at least 12 were children - and 60 were treated at the scene.

An adjacent Holiday Inn Hotel took in nearly 50 accompanied minors to provide them with safety while they waited to reunite with parents.

Partial list of casualties.
 * 1) Eight-year-old Saffie Roussos
 * 2) Georgina Callander, an 18-year-old fan who met US singer Ms Grande two years ago

ISIS Suspects
Police this morning confirmed that the suicide bomber, who was known to police, died inside the arena. US security sources said the bomber had travelled to the venue on public transport. A 23-year-old man was arrested by anti-terror officers in the south of the city as police and security services attempt to work out if the suicide bomber was part of a cell.

Islamic Jihad
The concert a target that the jihad murderers apparently chose because of its concentration of pre-teens and tweens, so as to maximize the potential to “strike terror into the hearts of the enemies of Allah” (Qur’an 8:60).