Everything We Know About the Terror Attack at the Ariana Grande Concert in England

From Esquire

An explosion Monday night killed 22 people and wounded about 60 more at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. British Prime Minister Theresa May called the incident a "callous terrorist attack," and authorities believe it was the work of a suicide bomber who detonated an explosive device filled with nails.

On Tuesday, Manchester police evacuated a shopping mall-amid screams and a sense of panic-where they arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with the apparent suicide attack. British authorities later identified another man, 22-year-old Salman Abedi, as the suspected bomber. The coroner has not yet made a formal identification. "The priority remains to establish whether he was acting alone or as part of a network," Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the bombing.

The explosion occurred around 10:35 p.m. in the foyer of the Manchester Arena, where Grande had just completed a concert, according to the Times. Witnesses reported hearing two loud bangs come from the back of venue. Footage from the concert shows people fleeing on foot from the arena, where heavily armed police had swarmed.

A publicist for Grande told The New York Times that the 23-year-old singer was "O.K." TMZ reported that Grande, who had just left the stage before the explosion, was "in hysterics" after learning that 19 people had been killed. Hours after the incident, Grande shared her first statement, tweeting:

Many of the concertgoers were teenagers and witnesses reported that parents were outside the arena trying frantically to find their children, according to The Washington Post.

"A huge bomb-like bang went off that hugely panicked everyone and we were all trying to flee the arena," concertgoer Majid Khan, 22, told Britain's Press Association. "It was one bang and essentially everyone from the other side of the arena where the bang was heard from suddenly came running towards us as they were trying to exit."

Oliver Jones, 17, added: "The bang echoed around the foyer of the arena and people started to run."

One concert goer told The Guardian: "There was a loud bang at the end of the concert. The lights were already on so we knew it wasn't part of the show. At first we thought it was a bomb. There was a lot of smoke. People started running out. When we got outside the arena there were dozens of police vans and quite a few ambulances."

Scores of world leaders, politicians, musicians, and celebrities have weighed in since Monday night's deadly attack. President Trump, who is visiting the Middle East this week, called the people responsible for the attack "evil losers." This "wicked ideology must be obliterated," he said. "And I mean completely obliterated."

Former Manchester United soccer star David Beckham posted on Facebook: "As a father & a human what has happened truly saddens me. My thoughts are with all of those that have been affected by this tragedy."

Grande's current tour began on February 3 in Phoenix, Arizona, and was scheduled to move through Europe, including Belgium, Poland, Germany, Switzerland and France.

The Department of Homeland Security said there is no evidence of credible threats against music venues in the U.S., but it noted that the U.S. public may experience increased security in and around public places and events.

With reporting from The Associated Press.

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