[UPDATED] A suicide bomber attacked as more than 20,000 mostly teenage fans of Ariana Grande were exiting her concert in Manchester, UK on Monday night. In the aftermath, at least 22 are confirmed dead and 59 injured, many with life threatening injuries.
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People scream and run for the exits after an explosion at Manchester arena, which killed 19 people pic.twitter.com/0oBWkFxrW9
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) May 23, 2017
Police believe they know the identity of a suicide bomber who took 22 lives on Monday night as young concert goers were leaving an Ariana Grande concert in the northern UK city of Manchester. Authorities have chosen not to share the name of the attacker, who died in the attack, as the investigation turns to who may have aided in planning what British Prime Minister Theresa May called a “callous terrorist attack.”
Taxi drivers, hotel workers and the emergency services have worked through the night to help those caught up in the Manchester attack pic.twitter.com/9FhngeMReO
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) May 23, 2017
Choosing Not To Place Blame
Choosing not to place blame, many in Manchester, which is 9% Muslim, offered free rides and opened their homes to more than 20,000 concert goers stranded as train traffic was halted and much of the city put on lockdown. The British often react differently to terror attacks than those in the U.S. “We don’t talk as much as some Americans about exclusion and building walls,” one UK commentator told NPR. “Most of our cities are already made up of people from many other countries.”
Ariana Grande Reacts
Ariana Grande, who was unhurt in the attack, commented on Twitter with a post that has been retweeted 646,000 timeS and liked by 1.3 million:
broken.
from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don’t have words.— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) May 23, 2017
More as the story develops.