Although ISIS has claimed responsibility for the explosion in Ariana Grande’s concert at the Manchester Arena on Monday, UK authorities have not yet linked the suicide bomber to any terrorist groups. However, the New York Daily News reported that before the carnage that killed 22 concertgoers and injured another 50 people, 22-year-old salman abedi was known to British Intelligence officials.
Abedi had similarities to the case of the notorious ISIS beheader Jihadi John, or Mohamed Emwazi, who was born in Britain but has parents who migrated to the UK.
Salman was also born in Britain where he studied business in college whose parents are Libyans who left the north African country.
Refugees who fled Khadafy regime
He is the third out of four children of Libyan refugees who escaped the country in 1994 from the iron grip of Libyan dictator Moammar Khadafy. The family initially lived in London but eventually settled in Manchester. About a decade ago, the Abedis transferred to the Fallowfield section of Manchester. Salman studied business at the University of Salford in Manchester.
On Tuesday, Manchester police officers stormed an address in the southern neighborhood and detonated a controlled explosion. The officers, who wore riot gear, gained access to the house where a neighbor said he saw a man in his 20s live in the flat in recent months.
Besides that community, police also searched another apartment in Whalley Range where Salman grew up.
Explosion cancels Ariana’s European concerts
Following the terror incident on Monday which traumatized thousands of Ariana Grande’s fans, the singer temporarily canceled the rest of her concert tour in Europe. She had one scheduled on Thursday.
Besides the UK concert, Grande placed on hold her concerts in Belgium, Poland, Germany, and Switzerland.
The bombing traumatized the “Problem” singer who is in hysterics and is not yet in a condition to perform. Grande has also expressed concern about the security in the rest of the European leg of her tour. The 21,000-seater Manchester Arena, the scene of the carnage, has a scheduled three gig later this week for Take That.
Biebers' fans fear for their safety
Although Canadian singer Justin Bieber’s next concert in London is at the Hyde Park, it is still in July, his fans do not want to suffer the same fate as Ariana’s followers. They urged the “Sorry” singer also to cancel his Britain tour, The Telegraph reported. Bieber and Grande share a manager, Scooter Braun.
Since the Beliebers have yet to hear from Justin or Braun about plans for his July tour, some of his fans, such as 20-year-old Leanne Murray from Ireland, is thinking of selling her tickets to Bieber’s Dublin concert in June. She has two tickets worth €180, or about $200.
