‘Suicide bomber’ strikes at Manchester Arena: Nineteen people are killed and 50 injured in terrorist attack as ‘nail bomb near the exit’ explodes, ripping into teens leaving packed Ariana Grande gig
Nineteen people killed after explosions rang out at the end of an Ariana Grande gig in Manchester Arena
Video footage showed thousands fleeing in tears from the venue, many covered in blood, when gig ended
Armed officers surrounded venue and bloodied concertgoers pictured being helped by emergency services
Horrifying footage showed petrified children leaping over chairs and barriers as they tried to escape
At 3am chief constable of Greater Manchester Police said they were treating it as a ‘terrorist incident’
An hour later, Grande tweeted: ‘Broken. From the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don’t have words’
PM Theresa May suspended election campaigning and said her thoughts were with those caught in the attack
Were you at the concert tonight? If so, please call 020 361 53 874 or email rory.tingle@mailonline.co.uk
By THOMAS BURROWS and RORY TINGLE
DailyMail.com
23 May 2017
At least 19 people are dead and 59 more injured after a suspected suicide bomber targeted children leaving a packed pop concert at Manchester Arena last night in Britain’s worst terror attack since 7/7.
Witnesses told of nuts and bolts tearing into young gig-goers when the blast was detonated in the foyer area between the arena and the next-door Victoria station just after the Ariana Grande performance ended.
One image captured bodies of the dead and injured lying in an area between the arena and the next-door Victoria station, which had been packed with people leaving the venue as the gig wound down.
As the explosion tore through the lobby, terrified youngsters stampeded for the sold-out 21,000-seater stadium’s exits in horrifying scenes caught on mobile phone cameras. Witnesses described the carnage as being ‘like a war zone’.
Armed police, the bomb squad and scores of emergency vehicles descended on the venue in the aftermath of the explosion, which took place at 10:35pm last night.
Officials in the US said their UK counterparts had identified a possible male suicide bomber as being responsible for the atrocity. In a 3am press conference, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins confirmed his force were treating it as a terror attack.
An hour later, US star Grande, who escaped unharmed, tweeted she was ‘broken’.
‘From the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don’t have words,’ she added. Her manager Scooter Braun said: ‘We mourn for the children.’
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