Bangkok Post

Ariana Grande returns to US following UK bombing

- DAN WHITCOMB

Ariana Grande returned to the United States on Tuesday, one day after a suicide bomber killed 22 people at the pop singer’s concert in Manchester, England, People magazine reported, as questions lingered over whether she would continue her European tour.

Grande, 23, was photograph­ed landing at an airport in her hometown of Boca Raton, Florida, and being met by family members, the magazine said.

The pop star has not been seen publicly since an explosion ripped through the packed Manchester Arena at the end of her performanc­e there. Some of the 22 people who died in the attack were teens or young girls. Grande was apparently unharmed.

British police have identified the man suspected of carrying out the massacre as 22-year-old Salman Abedi, who was born in Manchester to parents of Libyan origin. The Islamic State claimed responsibi­lity for what it called revenge against “Crusaders,” but there appeared to be contradict­ions in its account of the operation.

In her only statement so far, Grande took to Twitter some five hours after the bombing to describe herself as “broken” in the aftermath of the attack.

“from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don’t have words,” she said in the tweet.

Grande was performing in Manchester during the European leg of a tour to promote her third album, Dangerous Woman, which also has her scheduled to perform in London, Belgium, Poland, Germany and Switzerlan­d in the coming weeks.

Despite speculatio­n that she would cancel the rest of the tour, no formal announceme­nt had been made as of Tuesday afternoon. Grande’s manager, Scooter Braun, did not respond to requests for comment.

“We mourn the lives of children and loved ones taken by this cowardly act,” Braun said in a statement posted on Twitter on Monday evening.

“We ask all of you to hold the victims, their families and all those affected in your hearts and prayers.”

Grande, a native of Boca Raton, starred in the Broadway musical 13 and on the Nickelodeo­n TV series Victorious before releasing her solo debut album, Yours Truly.

Best known for her singles Problem and Break Free, Grande is credited with having an exceptiona­lly broad vocal range for a pop star.

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