ISIS Claims Responsibility For Manchester Arena Attack That Left 22 Dead

The suicide-bomber who detonated outside an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester last night killing 22 people – including an eight-year old girl – and injuring 59 more, has been named as 22-year old Salman Abedi.

The attack happened at just after 10:35 last night, moments after Ariana Grande finished her set. The singer was one of the first to tweet her complete shock at the harrowing news.

In the immediate aftermath many people speculated that it was ISIS who carried out the attack. It’s not difficult to see why as the terrorist group have been responsible for many similar attacks in recent years. And today those speculations proved accurate when ISIS released a statement claiming responsibility for the brutal attack.

You can read the full statement below:

The nature of this attack is particular upsetting given the young fan base Ariana Grande attracts. The first confirmed fatality was 18-year old Georgina Callender, an Ariana Grande “superfan” who was pictured with the pop star back in 2015.

An 8-year old girl, Saffie Rose Roussos, was also confirmed to be one of the victims after being separated from her family during the chaotic scenes in Manchester.

As of now they are the only two confirmed names meaning that several families are facing an agonising wait for information.

In response to the attacks, Manchester Police have raided a house in the south of the city, and even conducted a controlled explosion from inside.

President Trump, who is currently away from the White House on his first foreign trip, was one of the first world leaders to condemn the attacks. He released the following statement:

We stand in absolute solidarity with the people of the United Kingdom. So many young, beautiful, innocent people living and enjoying their lives, murdered by evil losers in life. I won’t call them monsters because they would like that term.”