An explosion was heard at the singer Ariana Grande's concert at the UK's largest sports arena. Witnesses reported at least two claps from spectators. Manchester Police recorded the time of the incident. The explosion was reported at 22:35 local time (00:35 Kyiv time).
As a result of the explosion in Manchester, 19 people were killed, 59 were hospitalized, and many were treated at the scene. "Ambulance services transported 59 people injured as a result of the incident at Manchester Arena to various hospitals and treated a number of people with minor injuries at the scene," police said in a statement.
What happened at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester?
A video of the moment of the explosion at the Manchester Arena has appeared on the Internet. The footage shows that the audience is already leaving the hall after the concert, but at this moment a loud bang is heard.
At first, many eyewitnesses do not understand what happened, but when they hear loud screams from those who are closer to the scene of the emergency, they begin to leave the arena in panic.
The explosion that occurred at the Manchester Arena during a concert by singer Ariana Grande could have been the result of a suicide attack.
Posted by UBC News (@ubcnews) May 22, 2017 at 5:33 PDT
The explosion itself did not occur in the hall. Police said the explosion occurred in the stadium lobby.
Ariana Grande reacts to the Manchester attack
The 23-year-old pop star is in shock and depressed. She has already commented on the terrible incident at her concert and posted a short tweet on her microblog:
"I'm broken. I speak from the bottom of my heart, I'm so, so sorry. I have no words."
Authorities react to the bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester
British Prime Minister Theresa May made a statement in connection with the explosion at the Manchester Arena.
"We are working to obtain detailed information about what police are treating as a horrific terrorist attack. Our thoughts are with the victims of the incident and the families of those affected," the statement said.
Yesterday a charity concert, One Love Manchester, was held in Manchester, dedicated to the victims of the terrorist attack. Ariana Grande personally organized it, and thanks to her efforts, the victims of the terrorist attack will receive $16.5 million - 14 were collected at the concert and another 2.5 million thanks to paid SMS. Ariana Grande also re-released her hit One Lost Time and said all money raised would go to a fund set up by the city council and the British Red Cross. You most likely weren’t at the concert, so we’ve collected the very best moments of the show.
The cutest moment
The concert was opened by a children's choir, and they sang so touchingly and soulfully that Ariana Grande could not stay away and joined the children in the middle of the song.
The most touching moment
The most touching moment, oddly enough, was the break during which Ariana spoke about her recent conversation with the mother of the deceased girl. As it turned out, this meeting completely changed the fate of the concert:
“I really want to thank Olivia Champbell’s mom for meeting us a few days ago. As soon as I saw her, I burst into tears and hugged her tightly, and she asked me to calm down, because her daughter definitely wouldn’t want to see her idol cry. And then she told me that Olivia wanted to hear only hits at the concert, so the next day during rehearsal we changed everything.
“Thanks to Olivia, tonight is filled with love, light, energy and happiness,” said Ariana Grande.
The brightest moment
The highlight of the evening was Ariana Grande's performance of the song One Last Time, during which all the guest stars, Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Niall Horan and many others, danced and sang along with her.
The most unexpected moment
But the most unifying and most discussed moment on Twitter was the dance of a policeman with children.
“Children and a policeman holding hands and dancing during #OneLoveManchester, this was worth organizing the concert.”
Most memorable moment
In addition to solo and guest songs, Ariana also sang a duet with her boyfriend Mac Miller on a song called The Way, and at the end of the performance, fans rejoiced with a sweet kiss from the lovers. So cute! But even sweeter is how Ari speaks about her relationship with Mac:
“We love, respect and support each other from the first day of our relationship. Love was with us from the very beginning. It was she who helped me get back on my feet,” the singer admitted in an interview with Cosmopolitan.
By the way, attentive fans, there is a wedding (?) ring on the ring finger of the left hand!
The most beautiful moment
When the concert had already come to an end, Ariana took the stage alone and performed the song “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” - the soundtrack to the film “The Wizard of Oz”. Hundreds of lit lights in the crowd and amazing vocals left no one indifferent. At the end of the performance, Ariana was so emotional that she could not hold back her tears.
And one more thing...
All of Ariana Grande's friends performed amazing hits; it's simply impossible to single out the coolest guest. Justin Bieber said that only love can overcome evil, after which he performed the song Cold Water. Miley Cyrus first performed the song Inspired, and later sang a duet. First, with Ariana, the single “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” and later, with Pharrell, the song “Happy.” Katy Perry sang her famous Roar. If you want to enjoy all the performances, then go to BBC official YouTube channel.
Niall Horan especially distinguished himself: first he performed Slow Hands, and after that he dedicated the song This Town to the heroic residents of Manchester. “Seeing you all here together is incredibly cool. And I am very glad that we were able to organize such a meeting. “We love you, we are with you, the whole world is with you,” Niall said, later posting on Twitter. – I will never forget this night. I am incredibly happy that I was given the opportunity to be part of this incredible evening.”
Ariana's mother Joan was also present at the concert, spending most of it among the crowd of fans, talking and convincing them that the most important thing is not to be afraid.
The concert really turned out to be soulful and amazing, and before it even ended, Twitter was full of messages of gratitude.
At least 22 people, including children, were killed and 59 injured in a suicide bombing in the English city of Manchester. The wounded were taken to six hospitals across Manchester, where the head of the legislature said it was "hard to imagine a worse night in the history of the city." The terrorist attack occurred at a time when thousands of fans were leaving the concert of 23-year-old American singer Ariana Grande, who was making her European tour.
A large number of young people attended the concert. Videos posted on social networks show concertgoers screaming and running away from the scene of the tragedy in panic. It turned out that the terrorist made a homemade bomb from TNT blocks and stuffed it with nail trimmings. The explosive device was in his backpack.
The terrorist attack occurred as thousands of fans were leaving the concert
The suicide bomber detonated the bomb as mothers and fathers were leaving the concert with their children, and other parents were arriving to pick up the young people from the performance.
Yesterday the media named the terrorist: 22-year-old Salman Abedi. According to the Daily Telegraph, he was born in the UK into a family of refugees from Libya and was the third child in the family. He was well known to British law enforcement.
As a classmate of the terrorist said, “he recently grew a beard and behaved very strangely.”
At the time of signing this issue, the fate of several teenagers who were at the performance and are considered missing remained unknown.
A witness who attended the concert said she heard a huge explosion as she left the arena, followed by screams and thousands of people trying to escape the building in panic. "We were walking out and when we got to the door there was a huge explosion and everyone screamed," Catherine McFarlane told Reuters. Paula Robinson, 48, of West Dalton, was quoted as saying she was at the train station next to the arena and saw dozens of teenage girls screaming and running from the arena. She took the children to a nearby hotel and posted her phone number on social media to concerned parents. Robinson said her phone didn't stop ringing after her tweet.
Another concertgoer, who came specifically from the Czech Republic for the show, said that there was “almost no security checks” in and around the building. “It was almost zero,” Nikola Tročtová said in an interview with Czech Public Radio. “The only thing they (the security officers) were interested in was whether we had a bottle of water with us. They hardly checked our bags, didn’t look at them content".
Recently, it is Great Britain, experts note, that “has become the most vulnerable target for terrorists.” Photo: EPA
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed deep condolences to British Prime Minister Theresa May. “We strongly condemn this cynical, inhumane crime. We hope that its customers will not escape deserved punishment,” the Russian President emphasized in a telegram of condolences. Vladimir Putin confirmed his readiness to increase anti-terrorism cooperation with British partners both on a bilateral basis and as part of broad international efforts, the Kremlin press service notes.
Prime Minister Theresa May herself called the incident a “terrible act of terrorism.” "The terrorists deliberately targeted the most vulnerable young people. The explosion was carried out in that place and at that time specifically to cause maximum damage. Only a perverted mind is capable of perceiving a room full of young people not as a place for fun, but as a potential place for massacre ", said the British Prime Minister. May and Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the opposition Labor Party, have agreed to suspend campaigning ahead of the UK parliamentary elections.
A concert goer said there was "almost no security checks" in and around the building.
Many world capitals have already made it clear that they will strengthen security measures during major sporting events and concerts. Thus, in Taiwan, where the Universiade will be held in August this year, they announced that they would “significantly increase the range of security measures in light of the tragedy in Manchester.”
"We believe the attack was carried out by one individual," Manchester Chief Constable Ian Hopkins told reporters on Tuesday. "The priority is to establish whether he acted alone or as part of a terrorist network." It is known that the deceased suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device. Hopkins did not specify whether the terrorist was British. On Tuesday afternoon, militants from the Daesh group (the Arabic name for the ISIS group banned in the Russian Federation - “RG”) took responsibility for the terrorist attack. Meanwhile, London police detained a 23-year-old man in the south of the British capital as part of a counter-terrorism operation.
The Manchester attack was the UK's deadliest attack since suicide bombings on London's transport system killed 52 people in July 2005.
Meanwhile, leaders of various religious and public organizations in Great Britain condemned the terrorist attack in Manchester, RIA Novosti noted. "Heroic Manchester, dark evil cannot bring it down. We pray for those who are grieving on the difficult journey of loss and pain and for those who protect us," said Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. And the general secretary of the Muslim Council of Great Britain, Haroon Khan, said: "This is terrible, this is a crime. Let the perpetrators feel the full force of justice both in this life and in the next."
Recently, it is Great Britain, experts note, that “has become the most vulnerable target for terrorists.” Britain's counter-terrorism unit says it is making "arrests every day in connection with suspected terrorist activity." Recall that in March, a native of Great Britain crashed an SUV into pedestrians on the famous Westminster Bridge in London. He killed four people and stabbed a policeman who was on the territory of the country's parliament. The criminal was shot dead at the scene. And in 2015, Pakistani student Abid Nasir was convicted in a US court of “conspiracy with Al-Qaeda (banned in the Russian Federation - “RG”).” He planned to bomb the Arndale shopping center in central Manchester in April 2009.
Dossier "RG"
Stadiums as targets
Many spectators came to Ariana Grande's concert wearing T-shirts with her image. The "Tour of a Dangerous Woman" will long be remembered by the British. Photo: AP
Terrorists often target large cultural or sporting venues. The French do not call November 13, 2015 anything other than “Black Friday”. As dusk fell, the city came under the deadliest attack since the end of World War II. 130 people became its victims. Several groups were active. The first, which included three suicide bombers, carried out explosions near the Stade de France stadium, where a football match was taking place between the national teams of France and Germany. At this time, a second team of killers raided several restaurants, bars and pizzerias in the 10th and 11th arrondissements in the east of Paris. Three jihadists in a black Seat car drove up to the open terraces of establishments where customers were seated at tables and opened fire on them with automatic weapons, killing 40 people.
However, the bloodiest attack was on the Bataclan concert hall, where the American band Eagles of Death Metal performed. 90 people died there, including Russian woman Natalya Muravyova, who had two citizenships - Russian and French. 350 were wounded. Three terrorists, having shot a security guard at the entrance, burst into the hall, where about one and a half thousand spectators had gathered. Mostly young people, fans of cool rock. Having taken defenseless people hostage, they began methodically pouring lead on them from machine guns.
According to the story of the spectators who miraculously escaped, the killers acted in cold blood and quickly exchanged the used horns of the machine guns for new ones. When French special forces arrived at the Bataclan, the terrorists forced the hostages to stand in front of the theater windows and monitor the movements of the police. Those who refused or hesitated were shot on the spot. During the operation to free the hostages, two terrorists detonated suicide vests with explosives. The third did not have time - he was overtaken by a special forces bullet.
All of them turned out to be French citizens with North African roots, who managed to undergo training in Syria in Daesh camps (the Arabic name for the IS group, banned in the Russian Federation - “RG”). A few days later, the coordinator of the Paris massacre, 28-year-old Abdelhamid Aboud, was discovered in the capital's suburb of Saint-Denis.
A native of the Brussels district of Molenbeek, where immigrants from Morocco live compactly, offered armed resistance to the police and was eliminated.
On January 1, 2010, in the Pakistani city of Lakki Marwat, a terrorist drove a car directly onto the court where a volleyball match was taking place and detonated an explosive device. As a result, 95 people were killed and more than 100 were injured. The attack was one of the deadliest in Pakistan's history. On May 14, 2010, a car bomb exploded near the stadium during a football match in Tal Afar, Iraq. The suicide bomber then detonated another device.
In the double terrorist attack, 25 people were killed and over 100 were injured.
The largest arena
Manchester Arena is not young, but it is comfortable. This is the largest arena of its kind in Europe. Its capacity is 21 thousand spectators, who easily enter this palace, located in relative proximity to the center of the grayish-colored houses of the working “hard-working city of Manchester”. That’s exactly how many spectators were at Grande’s concert that fateful evening. Previously, so many tickets to sports competitions or concerts held here had never been sold, although the kings of rock and the stars of boxing, basketball, and hockey performed here. From the outside, the arena looks somewhat unprepossessing. But inside there is freedom. There is complete space for the public, the rows go up and even higher, higher, and I checked it personally, the stage and carpet at the bottom in the center are clearly visible from the last tier. The exits from the spectator sectors are wide, spacious, and extremely comfortable.
Perhaps, thanks to this, there was no crush during the hasty mass evacuation-flight, which helped to avoid even more casualties.
Blood will flow
Joseph Linder (Russia), President of the International Counter-Terrorism Association:
Everything is very simple. There is a concept that defines the security system at public events. It is sanctioned by senior management, accepted by the relevant administrative structures, and then goes down to the level of special services of law enforcement agencies and is implemented depending on the category of the event: the volume of guests at a particular facility.
In Manchester, no real, serious inspection was carried out, although the necessary screening equipment was available. And security screening at an event held at Manchester Arena should be equivalent to security screening at international airport terminals. In our country, for example, at stadiums and concerts, every handbag is opened upon entry, spectators are passed through metal detectors - keys, wallets, and coins are laid out. Bags are searched very carefully. If necessary, a personal search up to and including a body search. Members of the press carry technical devices through the X-ray chamber. The question arises, and personal belongings of individual guests are also passed through it. There was practically none of this in Manchester, but only a superficial inspection and nothing more. Anything could be carried. There is a second point that everyone should understand. We live in an era of a terrorist pandemic. There is no corner on earth where we could hide from terrorists. This is a fact of our life today. Consequently, all structures of administrative authorities must understand this, and if they want to stay in the political establishment, follow this. But the European establishment, and in particular the English one, today, professing the theory of pseudo-tolerance, does not sufficiently protect its indigenous population from terror. The penultimate terror risk level means little to UK citizens. There will be no effective system of struggle. In England, there were explosions in the subway, and police officers were attacked near the government's Downing Street. Beautiful speeches were made in memory of the victims. However, in reality, neither Europe nor England has a concept of security and counter-terrorism. I think Prime Minister Thatcher could make a tough, correct and unpopular decision. But Mrs. May and other Western European politicians are not capable of this. There are no great politicians in Western Europe today. And, therefore, blood will continue to be shed.
A suicide bomber carried out an explosion in Manchester during an Ariana Grande concert. 19 people died.
In Manchester (UK), an explosion occurred during an Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena.
A representative for Ariana Grande said the singer was not injured.
According to available data, at least 19 people were killed and another 50 were injured as a result of the tragedy. As the administration of the concert hall told reporters, the incident occurred in the dance floor, far from the stage.
The explosion at the Manchester Arena, which seats more than 20,000 spectators and was filled to capacity, occurred at the end of Ariana Grande's performance, as spectators rushed to the exit. The explosion occurred in the area near the ticket offices near the building. Panic began in the hall; in the crush, some children lost their parents.
According to Reuters, British police believe that the incident was a terrorist attack and suspect that it was committed by a suicide bomber. Soon after the explosion, panic began; shocked people tried to leave the concert hall at any cost.
NBC News also reports that the number of victims is significantly higher than officially announced and could reach "hundreds." It is known that the Manchester Ambulance Service recommended contacting only in case of a threat to life, as all efforts were devoted to saving the lives of victims of the terrorist attack.
At about 3:40 Moscow time, information about a possible suicide bombing was confirmed by Reuters sources in the American intelligence services.
British Prime Minister Theresa May called the Manchester explosion a terrible terrorist attack. "We are working to establish the full circumstances of what police are treating as a horrific terrorist attack... Our thoughts are with the victims and the families of those affected," the prime minister's office said.
Sky reports that May has canceled campaign events scheduled for Tuesday in connection with the terrorist attack.
Information about the suicide bomber at the entrance to the Manchester Arena is confirmed by American journalist Yashar Ali. He refers to three sources, as well as to a discussion of the terrorist attack on Telegram, in which supporters of the terrorist group “Islamic State” (a terrorist organization banned in Russia) are participating.
A video from the scene of the incident, filmed by eyewitnesses, appeared on the Internet.
Sky quotes Susie Mitchell, a resident of the building located opposite the Manchester Arena. She claims she was awakened by the loud sound of an explosion. At the same time, she points out that her windows face the opposite side.
One of the concertgoers told the BBC that there were many children in the hall.
In the Manchester Arena area, sappers carried out a controlled detonation of an object. "Officers carrying out a controlled explosion in the Cathedral Garden area confirm this was discarded clothing and not any other suspicious item," Manchester Police later tweeted.
According to Sky News, people who were injured during the terrorist attack are now being taken to hospitals in Manchester. According to doctors, some of the wounded received injuries characteristic of the impact of shrapnel on the human body.
Manchester Arena was built in 1995 and has since become a venue for various public events. This is the largest concert venue in the city. Ariana Grande is currently on tour in Europe. She has sung previously in Dublin and London.
A terrorist attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester killed 22 people and injured more than 50. Mostly there were teenagers in the hall. No one thought that their idol's performance would end like this... Now Ariana is depressed, and fans are trying to support her, bringing the hashtags #ArianatorsStayStrong and #ThisIsNotYourFaultAriana to the top of Twitter, and eyewitnesses tell what really happened in the concert hall. 17-year-old Olivia Duffy told her story to Marie Claire.
“I was never afraid to walk in such places. My mum takes terrorist attacks very seriously: I was on a school trip to the West End when there was a stabbing on the bridge and my mum really didn't want me to go. But I told her, "We can't let these things stop us. We can't, because then they'll win!"
I was never afraid of such things, but only because I had never encountered them. Last night I changed my mind.
I've been to the Manchester arena a couple of times, I saw Justin Bieber there once, but this was my first Ariana Grande concert. My dad went with me and two children of family friends. We sat in the VIP box and saw everything. I saw a girl who was very happy and danced the entire concert. Then I searched for her on Twitter for a whole day, afraid that she was among the victims, and my heart sank when I saw her photo.
It was a huge concert, Ariana went on stage at nine in the evening and sang until half past ten, I know the exact time because dad wanted us to leave early and kept looking at his watch. Ariana's final song was a surprise encore, with hundreds of pink balloons falling from the ceiling. When we heard the explosion, at first I thought it was just balloons bursting. We were just starting to make our way through the dense crowd to the exit - dad really wanted to leave early so as not to get caught in the traffic jam. I became wary when I saw a group of girls crying hysterically.
One girl had blood on her cheek, but then I thought that she had quarreled with someone and was pushed.
As soon as we got out, my dad stopped to buy me some fan merch when suddenly we saw everyone running out in a panic. At first we thought that they also wanted to leave before the traffic jams, but then I grabbed dad and the children who were with us by the hands and ran to the parking lot to the car. Only then did we see firefighters, police officers and first responders. It was so noisy there! Sirens were blaring, people were screaming, cars were honking, and teenagers were screaming into their phones, trying to call their parents.
Maybe I didn’t notice at first, but I remember that I didn’t get scared right away. We just kept running. My father then said, “Apparently, something serious happened,” and he is still very painful about what happened, today he even cried, and I don’t know what would have happened to us if we had stayed inside. When we were leaving, we saw girls who were covered in blood and assumed that there had been a fight and someone had been attacked with a knife, but then I checked Twitter and found out that it was a terrorist attack, and at first I didn’t believe it. It was a children's concert, who could do such a thing?
Only later did I remember that our bags were not checked, one of my friends even brought alcohol into the hall, and if you wanted, you could bring anything there.
I returned home at midnight and answered calls from worried friends and read Twitter until three in the morning. It was so strange, I used to watch celebrities write condolences to victims of natural disasters, but now they were sending their love to Manchester and sending condolences to me. My parents are now afraid of everything: next week I was supposed to go to the mall to buy new shoes, but now my mother doesn’t want me to leave the house at all.”
Ariana Grande fans were among the first to be identified among the dead: eighteen-year-old Georgina Bethany and eight-year-old Safi-Rose Roussos. Georgina was a devoted fan of Ariana, always commented on her posts on Instagram and never missed a concert. A few months before the tragedy, she wrote on Twitter that she would “die of happiness” when she saw Ariana again, and on May 23, blogger Joe Sugg published a photo with the girl, signing:
“It's terrible to hear about this. Rest in peace, Gina..."
After the explosion, Georgina’s mother took her daughter to the hospital and sat at her bedside until the last, but there was no one to save eight-year-old Safi-Rose - the crowd pushed her away from her parents. The girl's mother and her older sister were later found in separate hospitals with serious injuries. Users of social networks united and together tried to find the girl until it became known that she was among the dead.
Other Ariana Grande fans are now actively sharing details of the tragic evening on Twitter.
