The Manchester Arena Bombing: Update
As the investigation progresses into the Manchester Arena Bombing, new information has come to light, and sadly the death toll has risen. The management team of Face Activities offers our heart felt condolences and sympathies to the victims and their families of this terrible crime.
Authorities have learned a lot in a short time about the suicide bombing perpetrated at the Ariana Grande concert, on Monday, May 22nd, at the Manchester Evening News Arena, in the United Kindgom. The blast killed 22 people, and dozens more were injured, many seriously, just after the pop star finished her concert at 10:30 pm, local time.
The blast occurred in an less secure area, as concert-goers exited the venue, so the terrorists maximized the number of victims by hitting a “soft target,” with limited security compared to that inside the concert venue.
The attack occurred on the anniversary of the murder of Lee Rigby, a British army soldier who was hacked to death on May 22, 2013, by Michael Adebolajo and an accomplice. Abedi’s attack prompted authorities to up the threat level to “Critical,” and a second attack is thought to be imminent.
Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old UK citizen of Libyan descent, committed the atrocious act, which targeted very young teenagers and tweens, mostly girls (the youngest known victim was 8-years-old.) Abedi, the son of Libyan refugees fleeing the Gaddafi regime, appears to have been part of a terrorist network in Manchester, with links to Libya, and appears to have owed his allegiance to ISIS.
Abedi’s suicide vest was a sophisticated piece of technology, so it’s unlikely he fabricated it alone. Authorities believe he had received training from ISIS in years past. Abedi came to the attention of authorities years ago, when he expressed sympathy for terrorist acts, and suicide bombings, to classmates, who reported him to the security services.
In the wake of the bombing, the authorities have made five arrests, and at least two in Libya, including Abedi’s father and brothers, as police probe Abedi’s network.
Learn more about the state of the investigation (The Telegraph)
Photo: By David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0, Link
