Everything We Know About the Manchester Arena Bombing So Far

At least 22 people were killed and about 60 people were injured when a bomb was detonated after an Ariana Grande show at Manchester Arena.

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Children were among those killed in a suicide bombing at Manchester Arena Monday night. The blast occurred in the foyer of the 21,000-capacity venue with the detonation of a homemade bomb, BBC News reported. "Last night, our community suffered a senseless tragedy," a Manchester Arena spokesperson said Tuesday. "Our entire team's thoughts and focus are now on supporting the people affected and their families."

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An investigation into the attack is currently underway. Here's what we know so far:

The bombing occurred at an Ariana Grande concert.

At approximately 10:33 p.m. Monday, a bomb was detonated inside the Manchester Arena foyer near the end of Ariana Grande's concert. Grande, who was in the middle of her Dangerous Woman Tour at the time, tweeted a brief statement on the tragedy shortly after early reports of fatalities started coming in:

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TMZsaid Monday that Grande's tour has since been "indefinitely suspended."

Multiple deaths and injuries have been reported.

At the time of this article's publication, Greater Manchester Police had confirmed 22 fatalities and 59 injured in the bombing. "This has been the most horrific incident we have had to face in Greater Manchester and one that we all hoped we would never see," Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said Tuesday. "Families and many young people were out to enjoy a concert at the Manchester Arena and have lost their lives."

Victims' names are slowly being confirmed by the authorities, with 18-year-old Georgina Callander and eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos named Tuesday morning. Contact info for the Greater Manchester Victims' Services is available here.

The suspect is dead.

The suspect was identified by police Tuesday as Salman Abedi. However, according to BBC News, the suspect had not yet been formally identified by the coroner. "The attacker, I can confirm, died at the arena," Hopkins said in a previous statement. "We believe the attacker was carrying an improvised explosive device which he detonated causing this atrocity." The individual, 22, was reportedly born in Manchester.

One other person has been arrested.

Hopkins told reporters Tuesday that a 23-year-old man had been arrested "in connection with the attack." Additionally, two warrants—in Whalley Range and Fallowfield, respectively—had been carried out as part of the investigation. One required the use of a controlled explosion. "The priority remains to establish whether [Salman Abedi] was acting alone or as part of a network," Hopkins said.

ISIS claimed responsibility but offered no supporting evidence for the claim.

Early Tuesday, CNNreported that ISIS had claimed responsibility for the bombing. The terrorist organization offered no supporting evidence for their claims. As others have noted, the organization has previously made claims of responsibility related to attacks with which they had no links.

A relief fund has been organized by Manchester City Council.

Manchester City Council has partnered with the British Red Cross for the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund. The fund will assist those who have been "injured or bereaved" by Monday's attack. "The fund will make payments to help families who are in need—including those who are faced with funeral costs and individuals who may have suffered life-limiting injuries," Councillor Eddy Newman, Lord Mayor of Manchester, said. Donation information is available here.

Homeland Security says there's "no credible threat" against venues in the U.S.

In an initial statement Monday night, the Department of Homeland Security confirmed it was "closely monitoring" the Manchester Arena incident. DHS also confirmed that, at this time, there is nothing that would indicate any "specific credible threat" related to music and live performance venues in the United States. Regardless, DHS explained, U.S. concert attendees may notice heightened security measures. Such measures would be implemented at the discretion of local officials.

This page will be updated as more details are made available.

 

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