Suicide Bomber Kills 22, Including Children, at Ariana Grande Concert in Manchester, U.K. Police say they are investigating whether attacker acted aloneBy Jason Douglas, Robert Wall and Georgi Kantchev
https://www.wsj.com/articles/suicide-bomber-kills-22-including-children-at-ariana-grande-concert-in-manchester-u-k-1495529305
MANCHESTER, England—The suicide bomber who killed 22 people and injured dozens of others outside a pop concert in Manchester on Monday night hit one of the softest of soft targets—a mostly young crowd pouring from the exits at the end of the show, police said.
As the fans—including many teenage girls—of American singer Ariana Grande streamed past, a single assailant detonated an improvised explosive device and unleashed carnage, according to the authorities, sending survivors fleeing as panicked parents searched for their offspring amid the chaos.
Children were among the dead, police said.
Manchester’s top police officer, Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, said Tuesday morning that authorities were racing to determine whether the attacker, a man who died at the scene, had acted alone or was part of a broader terror network. He described the investigation as “fast-moving.”
It was the second terror attack in the U.K. this year and the deadliest since suicide bombers attacked the London transport system in 2005, killing 52 people. It took place four years to the day after British soldier Lee Rigby was hacked to death outside an army barracks in London by two Islamic extremists.
U.K. Home Secretary Amber Rudd described the explosion as a “barbaric act.”
Prime Minister Theresa May was set to meet with the government’s emergency “Cobra” committee on Tuesday morning, and security was heightened around the U.K. In Manchester, extra police were deployed and armed officers patrolled the city.
The bombing hit in the run-up to national parliamentary elections set for June 8. Mrs. May’s Conservative Party and its main rival, Labour, said they would halt campaigning on Tuesday. Mrs. May condemned the attack as “appalling.”
President Donald Trump expressed “absolute solidarity” with the people of Britain and condemned terrorists as “evil losers.” Mr. Trump said, “Our society can have no tolerance for this continuation of bloodshed.”
Comments are closed.
