Terrorist act in Manchester, UK

At least 19 killed in blast at Ariana Grande concert in British arena

Reuters,

22 May, 2017

At least 19 people were killed in a blast at a concert in the English city of Manchester on Monday where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing and two U.S. officials said a suicide bomber was suspected in the explosion.

British police said the incident, in which at least 50 people were injured, was being treated as a terrorist incident. Police carried out a controlled explosion on a suspect device several hours after the blast.

Police said they responded to reports of an explosion shortly after 10:35 pm (2135 GMT) at the arena, which has a capacity for 21,000 people, and where the U.S. singer had been performing to an audience that included many children.

If confirmed as a terrorism incident, it would be the deadliest attack in Britain by militants since four British Muslims killed 52 people in suicide bombings on London's transport system in July 2005.

The blast also came two and half weeks ahead of an election in which Prime Minister Theresa May is predicted by opinion polls to win a large majority.

A witness who attended the concert said she felt a huge blast as she was leaving the arena, followed by screaming and a rush by thousands of people trying to escape the building. A video posted on Twitter showed fans, many of them young, running from the venue.

"We were making our way out and when we were right by the door there was a massive explosion and everybody was screaming," concert-goer Catherine Macfarlane told Reuters.

"It was a huge explosion - you could feel it in your chest. It was chaotic. Everybody was running and screaming and just trying to get out."

A spokesman for Ariana Grande, 23, said the singer was "okay".

Manchester Arena, the largest indoor arena in Europe, opened in 1995 and is a popular concert and sporting venue.

Britain is on its second-highest alert level of "severe" meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely.

British counter-terrorism police have said they are making on average an arrest every day in connection with suspected terrorism.

In March, a British-born convert to Islam plowed a car into pedestrians on London's Westminster Bridge, killing four people, before stabbing to death a police officer who was on the grounds of parliament. He was shot dead at the scene.

Manchester Explosion

Craig Murray,

22 May, 2017

Twitter gives an astonishing immediate insight into events in another city. Our thoughts are with those the police say are killed and injured in Manchester this evening. From eye witness reports and pictures posted on the internet, this is what I can tell so far.

There certainly was at least one large explosion, and this was consistent with a bomb. But a bomb was not the only possible explanation. however contrary to reports, the bombs does not appear to be inside the Manchester Arena.

I am somewhat handicapped as I do not know how to post short pieces of video from Facebook onto the blog. But the best evidence of the explosion so car is this video apparently from a nearby car park.

These two frames are a fraction of a second apart. It is much plainer on the video than on these stills, but in the second a huge flash of light has gone off behind the building. The area of rising ground or low structure immediately to the left of the building is more lit in the second frame, and the aurora of city light in the sky above the building is lighter and reaches further. The back of the building would be substantially illuminated. As I say, the flash is much more obvious in live action than in comparing the two frames.

A little less than a second after this flash, a major rumble is heard. This is a loud explosion. Given that from the gap between the light and the sound it is over half a mile away, it is really a big explosion.

But it is not within the Manchester Arena itself. There are plenty of photos and again videos from inside the arena.

The video from which this still is taken, for example, is apparently after the explosion because there is a certain amount of panic and screaming going on. But the video pans round the entire indoor arena and nowhere is there a sign of any damage, certainly not commensurate with the size of the explosion, and certainly nothing which would affect the integrity of the walls and ceiling sufficient to emit that great flash of light outside. Also an explosion of that size, if a bomb, would emit a very large amount of smoke, and there is very not enough smoke at all in this indoor area (there is a very little haze, but more consistent with concert pyrotechnics or dry ice). Finally, while there are the first signs of panic, an explosion of that size would have caused vastly more panic if it had not been some way distant. Most people are still holding their balloons.

There are many pictures of lobby areas too but none of these shows bomb damage or smoke either.

The dominant narrative now seems to be a nail bomb or bombs inside the arena. Nail bombs typically are not on the scale of the explosion caught outside. A nail bomb might be consistent with the lack of major damage inside the arena and lack of immediate generalised panic, but it is not consistent with the big bang and flash visible outside. It is of course not impossible there was one or more small nail bombs inside and a further bomb outside. But it is also possible the explosion was outside and the inside injuries due to panic and crush.

We should avoid jumping to conclusions on the cause, and if it is a bomb we should avoid jumping to conclusions on who planted it. There is terrible tragedy in Manchester tonight, the worse for affecting young people. But my trawl through social media also revealed a fantastic communal spirit, with ordinary people looking after each other, opening up their homes, running people around in their cars and helping reunite families. It is also excellent how many Manchester people are reacting against those trying to use this to promote racial or political agendas. I pray the number of casualties proves to be not as bad as first thought.

But it is not within the Manchester Arena itself. There are plenty of photos and again videos from inside the arena.

The video from which this still is taken, for example, is apparently after the explosion because there is a certain amount of panic and screaming going on. But the video pans round the entire indoor arena and nowhere is there a sign of any damage, certainly not commensurate with the size of the explosion, and certainly nothing which would affect the integrity of the walls and ceiling sufficient to emit that great flash of light outside. Also an explosion of that size, if a bomb, would emit a very large amount of smoke, and there is very not enough smoke at all in this indoor area (there is a very little haze, but more consistent with concert pyrotechnics or dry ice). Finally, while there are the first signs of panic, an explosion of that size would have caused vastly more panic if it had not been some way distant. Most people are still holding their balloons.

There are many pictures of lobby areas too but none of these shows bomb damage or smoke either.

The dominant narrative now seems to be a nail bomb or bombs inside the arena. Nail bombs typically are not on the scale of the explosion caught outside. A nail bomb might be consistent with the lack of major damage inside the arena and lack of immediate generalised panic, but it is not consistent with the big bang and flash visible outside. It is of course not impossible there was one or more small nail bombs inside and a further bomb outside. But it is also possible the explosion was outside and the inside injuries due to panic and crush.

We should avoid jumping to conclusions on the cause, and if it is a bomb we should avoid jumping to conclusions on who planted it. There is terrible tragedy in Manchester tonight, the worse for affecting young people. But my trawl through social media also revealed a fantastic communal spirit, with ordinary people looking after each other, opening up their homes, running people around in their cars and helping reunite families. It is also excellent how many Manchester people are reacting against those trying to use this to promote racial or political agendas. I pray the number of casualties proves to be not as bad as first thought.

Insensitive arsehole presstitute

Twitter CBS Columnist Mocks Victims of Manchester Arena Blast

https://sputniknews.com/europe/201705231053878613-cbs-freelance-columnist-mocks-manchester/

Not half an hour after the explosion at Manchester Arena that claimed at least 19 lives broke, CBS contributor David Leavitt decided to take it upon himself to be the first to joke about it.

From rolling coverage from the Guardian

At least 19 people have been killed and around 5o injured after an explosion at Manchester Arena at the end of a concert by Ariana Grande.

• Investigators say they are treating the incident as a terrorist attack “until police know otherwise”.

• The blast was reported to have taken place outside the arena, in the public foyer, shortly after 10.30pm. North West ambulance services said 60 ambulances were dispatched to the arena, with 59 people transferred to six hospitals across Greater Manchester, and a number of “walking wounded” treated at the scene.

• No identities of those killed or injured have been confirmed. No arrests have been made.

• The prime minister, Theresa May, will chair a meeting of the government’s emergency Cobra committee at 9am on Tuesday. In an overnight statement, May said:

We are working to establish the full details of what is being treated by the police as an appalling terrorist attack.

All our thoughts are with the victims and the families of those who have been affected.

• Party leaders Jeremy Corbyn, Nicola Sturgeon and Tim Farron also expressed condolences. Campaigning for June’s general election has been suspended.

• Ariana Grande, who was not hurt in the explosion, which occurred just moments after her show finished, tweeted that she was

“broken. From the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don’t have words.”

• A large area around the arena has been cordoned off. Victoria station has been closed and train services cancelled for the whole of Tuesday. Police have asked people to stay away from the area.

• British Transport Police said extra officers, some armed, would be on patrol today.

• Greater Manchester police has set up a hotline for those concerned about relatives or friends who might have been caught up in the Manchester explosion: 0161 856 9400.