People scrambling for exit after bombing attack in Manchester Arena Photo Credit: Screenshot/Zack Bruce video/Twitter/BBC
Twenty-two people were killed and several more injured Monday evening when a suicide bomber struck Manchester Arena, where people attended a concert by American singer Arian Grande, law enforcement said.
Prime Minister Theresa May condemned the terror attack as “sickening.” The British Broadcasting Corporation reported that a man set off a homemade bomb in the foyer. Following the attack, Police arrested a 23-year-old man in south Manchester, and authorities were working to find connections to the bombing.
The concert gathering included a lot of young people and the world reacted with shock and horror as the so-called Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.
The world leaders have conveyed their deep sorrow to the British people over loss of lives and affirmed to stand firm in the fight against terrorists.
President Donald Trump, who is traveling in the Middle East, called the perpetrators of Manchester attack “evil losers.”
“They were evil losers,” he said.
“I won’t call them monsters because they would like that term. They would think that was a great name. I will call them losers from now on. And we’ll have more of them. But they’re losers, just remember that,” said Trump, who met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Bethlehem.
According to the White House, Trump also spoke to Prime Minister May to express U.S. solidarity.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a telegram to Queen Elizabeth, expressed “deep condolences to the innocent victims, and sincere sympathy to the injured and relatives of the dead.”
“The Chinese people and British people are standing side by side firmly during this difficult time,” he said.
In France, the newly elected President Emmanuel Macron said: “We come together in the fight against terrorism.”
The politician’s office said he “learnt with horror and shock about the attack that occurred yesterday evening.”
“He addresses all of France’s compassion and concern to the people of Britain and stands by its side in this period of mourning, with a particular thought for the victims and their families,” the statement said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed her “sorrow and horror” over the bomb attack in Manchester, vowing that Germany will stand by Britain in the fight against terror.
“This suspected terrorist attack will only strengthen our resolve to work with our British friends against those who plan and execute such inhuman acts. I assure the people in Britain: Germany stands by your side,” she said, according to a statement.
