On Monday, May 22, officials reported that 22 individuals were found dead and over a dozen injured due to an explosion at an Ariana Grande concert held in a Manchester stadium. The Attack has been reported to be a suicide bombing, with the bomber detonating an improvised explosive device around 10:33 pm. Within hours of the attack, police and other officials found that the toll of injuries and deaths were steadily increasing, with some individuals even being reported as missing. ISIS claimed responsibility for the act of terror, and earlier, a 23 year old man was arrested in Manchester in connection with the attack that took place.
He recently was identified as Salman Abedi.
Ariana Grande Speaks Out
Following the traumatizing event that took place during her concert, Ariana Grande spoke out on Twitter, apologizing to fans and expressing her sympathy. According to CNN, the singer tweeted "Broken. From the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don't have words." Even though Grande was physically unharmed during the explosion, she has expressed on social media that she is safe, but not okay. "Heartbroken" is a word that she used repeatedly on Twitter, showing how sad she feels for the families and friends of her fans.
Grande was scheduled to perform again on May 25 in London, and then again in locations including Belgium, Poland, Germany and Switzerland.
It is not known yet if the tour will continue on to these locations, but earlier on May 23, the London arena tweeted that it "will advise as soon as we can as to the status of those shows." Fans are still anxiously waiting to hear whether the shows will continue or not, but will be informed in the next few days.
Manchester's Tragedy
Since opening in 1995, the Manchester Arena has welcomed famous stars such as Lady Gaga and U2, and according to their website, is "one of the busiest venues in the world and the largest indoor arena in Europe." The arena draws in lots of revenue from popularity and ticket sales, and is a venue that is visited frequently by tourists.
It is seen as a worldwide-known attraction, and is one of the most successful arenas for a variety of events.
Despite the tragedy at the venue, Anthony Fisher, a 43-year-old electrician native to the area, told NBC News that "Manchesters always bounce back." He stated that "Manchester was wrecked 20 years ago with the IRA bomb. It bounced back then and it will bounce back again."