The Latest on the Ariana Grande Concert Bombing in Manchester
■
Nineteen people were killed and around 59 others were injured in an
explosion about 10:35 p.m. on Monday in the foyer outside the main hall
of the Manchester Arena.
■ Prime Minister Theresa May said the police were treating the incident as “an appalling terrorist attack.”
■
The authorities suspect the blast came from either an abandoned
backpack or a suicide bomber, a senior American intelligence official
said. British officials said they were investigating reports that a
suicide bomber detonated an improvised device containing nuts and bolts
as shrapnel.
■
The explosion occurred just as a concert by the American pop star
Ariana Grande was ending. Traumatized fans, including children, screamed
and ran. Ms. Grande was not injured.
■
Parents separated from their children during the mayhem were told to go
to nearby hotels, where many had taken refuge. Other children were
being kept in the arena.
■
The police carried out a controlled explosion near the arena but later
said the suspicious material was harmless. Bomb squads continued to comb
through downtown Manchester.
‘Everyone Started Crying and Screaming’
Laura
Bruce, 18, was with her sister Amy, 25, in one of the Arena’s upper
tiers when they heard the explosion. “Everyone below us just turned and
ran,” she said. “Because we were higher up, we could not get out for
five minutes. When we came out, a man walked past us, just covered in
blood.”
Sophie
Tedd, 25, had traveled from Darlington to attend the concert with her
friend, Jessica Holmes. At the end of the concert, they heard a loud
bang, and initially wondered whether “a speaker had blown.”
“Then
everyone started crying and screaming,” she said. “Everyone ran out.
People were pushing each other out of the way. It took a couple of
minutes to get out. The police were outside, telling us to keep running,
to run away from Victoria station.”
Video from inside the arena
showed the surreal scene of patrons scrambling for the exits, covered
in pink balloons. The balloons were part of the choreographed staging
for Ms. Grande’s tour, after a segment with projections and lasers.
— Rory Smith and Ben Sisario
The Terrorism Threat in Britain
The
Manchester police are working on the assumption that the deadly
explosion at a young people’s concert was an act of terrorism. If so, it
would be the worst act of terrorism in Britain since the 2005 bombings
of London’s buses and subway killed 52 people.
But
British authorities, who have foiled numerous terrorist plots, will
hardly be surprised. The threat level set by MI5, the domestic
intelligence service has been set at “severe,” the second-highest level,
for months now, meaning that they considered an attack “highly likely.”
And counter-terrorism officials have been warning that as the Islamic
State becomes under more and more military pressure in Iraq and Syria,
it will try to strike out abroad.
-Steven Erlanger
Ariana Grande: ‘I Am So So Sorry. I Don’t Have Words.’
Anxious Relatives Gather at Hospital
At
one of the hospitals, the Manchester Royal Infirmary, anxious
relatives, many in tears, showed up to check in with their loved ones.
Outside the pediatric emergency department, a van carrying blood
supplies pulled in behind an ambulance.
The
injured were being treated at six hospitals, said Chief Constable Ian
Hopkins of the Greater Manchester Police. The police set up an emergency
number - 0161 856 9400 - “for those who are concerned about loved ones
or anyone who may have been in the area,” the chief constable said.
— Sewell Chan
Nail Bomb Believed Used in Explosion
Witnesses
said that the attack appeared to involve the use of a nail bomb. Nail
bombs are used to magnify the destructive power of explosives, as the
shrapnel increases the bomb’s ability to wound its victims. A nail bomb
was believed to have been used Monday in an attack at a military hospital in Bangkok that wounded two dozen people.
Nail
bombs use shrapnel like steel balls, razors, screws and other pieces of
metal to enhance their destructive capacity. They were used in Britain
by the Irish Republican Army in its campaign against the British
government, including in a 1981 attack in central London that killed one women and injured 50 others.
— Gerry Mullany
Controlled Explosion Afterwards
Speculation
that there might be another explosive device rose hours after the blast
at deaths at the concert hall when the Manchester police said they had
carried out “precautionary controlled explosion in Cathedral Garden.” It
turned out to have been abandoned clothing, the police said, “not a
suspicious item.”
— John Harney
Attack Came After ISIS Plea
Last
week, the Islamic State released a 44-minute video featuring fighters
of different nationalities, enjoining their supporters back home to
carry out acts of violence. Among them was a man identified as a British
national, according to a translation of the video provided by the
Middle East Media Research Institute, which tracks jihadi propaganda.
Besides
the threat last week, ISIS has repeatedly targeted the U.K. in its
propaganda, though with little effect until earlier this year.
— Rukmini Callimachi
Arena Largest Such Venue in Britain
The
Manchester Arena is one of the world’s busiest areas, and the largest
indoor venue in Britain with a capacity of 21,000, or 18,000 for
concerts. It was constructed as part of Manchester’s bid to host the
Olympic games in 1996 and 2000, and is connected to the Manchester
Victoria Station, which was closed due to the attack.
The
Arena opened in 1995 and has hosted some of the world’s leading musical
acts, including The Rolling Stones, U2, Madonna and Luciano Pavarotti.
It also hosted the 2002 Commonweath Games.
— Gerry Mullany
Rail Service at Busy Hub to Remain Suspended
Rail service at Manchester Victoria, a major transportation hub in the city, was suspended late Monday night and will remain closed on Tuesday. Manchester’s light rail service, Metrolink, has also been suspended at the station.
Manchester
Victoria, which was used by more than 7 million passengers in 2015-16,
is one of the busiest rail stations in England.
— Matthew Haag
Firm Describes Security at Arena
The
Pennsylvania-based company SMG manages the Manchester Arena, and Wes
Westley, the president and CEO of the company, described the precautions
at the venue.
“It
is obviously as tight security as anywhere in the states,” he said in
an interview. “Backpacks are not allowed. Drinks are taken away from
people. You have to go through very strict security to enter the arena.”
He
explained that attendees arrive through a large public foyer, which is
where the explosion occurred. The area, which connects to the Manchester
Victoria rail station, is where parents often wait for their children
after the concerts.
The incident “occurred in a public space outside of Manchester Arena,” the company said.
— Ben Sisario
U.S. Intelligence Briefed on Attack
Intelligence
officials in the United States were briefed on the Manchester explosion
late Monday and were told it appeared to be a terror attack, said one
senior official who was not authorized to discuss the situation publicly
and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The
Department of Homeland Security said it was monitoring the situation
and it had “no information to indicate a specific credible threat
involving music venues in the United States” while warning Americans in
Manchester to be vigilant.
“U.S.
citizens in the area should heed direction from local authorities and
maintain security awareness,” the department said in a statement. “We
encourage any affected U.S. citizens who need assistance to contact the
U.S. Embassy in London and follow Department of State guidance.”
— Adam Goldman and Gerry Mullany
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