ISIS BOMBER BLOWS UP AT MANCHESTER ARENA
ISIS supporters praised the attack on social media, encouraged more lone wolf attacks
Manchester/London, May 23: A 22-year-old Libyan-origin suicide bomber set off a powerful homemade bomb at a concert of US pop star Ariana Grande in Manchester on Monday night, killing at least 22 people and injuring 59 others, in the deadliest terror attack in Britain since the 2005 London bombings.
Greater Manchester Police identified the attacker as Salman Abedi. Born in Manchester, he is the second youngest among four children of a Libyan refugee couple who came to the UK to escape the Gaddafi regime.
Reports from US authorities have claimed that Abedi was a British citizen who was known to authorities. Abedi is registered as living at the residence and the property is now believed to be the centre of the investigation. The ISIS terror group claimed responsibility for the bombing and warned of more attacks. Screaming concert-goers, including children fled the venue on Monday night in panic after the powerful blast struck the Manchester Arena — Europe’s largest indoor arena.
Children and teenagers were among the dead because of the very young demographic of the fans. — AFP/PTI/AP More reports on Pg 14
Several tweets had predicted Tuesday’s attack in Manchester Arena hours before the explosion rocked pop star Ariana Grande’s concert, media reports said.
Two tweets appeared to have predicted the suicide bombing four hours before the attack. Twitter, which has since suspended the account, confirmed the tweet which read “Are you forget our threat?” and included a #ManchesterArena hashtag, the Daily Mail reported. A second tweet read: “We have more.”
In another forum, a man reportedly posted: “Tomorrow night, I will go to the Manchester Arena Grande concert and throw my handmade grenade in there.”
Meanwhile, an unverified video has also appeared on social media purportedly showing a man claiming “loyalty” to ISIS were behind alleged “nail bomb” attack.
The attack which killed at least 22 people and injured 59 was later claimed by ISIS. The suicide bomber was identified as Salman Abedi, 22. Abedi is thought to be the son of Libyan refugees who fled Colonel Gadaffi’s regime, the Independent reported.
ISIS supporters have praised the attack. A video circulating online shows a masked jihadi celebrating the atrocity, reports claimed..
One user, Abdul Haqq, tweeted: “It seems that bombs of the British Air Force over children of Mosul and Raqqa has just came back to #Manchester.”
Others shared messages encouraging lone wolf attacks as well as videos threatening the West and the US.
“This is only the beginning,” one masked man said in a chilling but unverified footage which surfaced on Tuesday, Daily Mail report said.
The alleged jihadi, sitting in front of an ISISstyle flag, continues: “The lions of the Islamic State are beginning to attack all the crusaders.”
Twitter suspended dozens of accounts overnight, but other pro-Isis supporters posted messages across Telegram and other secured messaging systems.
An eight-year-old girl was among the 22 people killed. Lancashire County Council, in northwest England, named her as Saffie Rose Roussos.