Barack Obama has broken his silence over the devastating attack in Manchester city centre last night.
The former president of the United States took to Twitter with a message of solidarity for the city and those affected by the atrocities which took place at Manchester arena.
He wrote:
Our hearts go out to those killed and wounded in Manchester. Americans will always stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of the UK.
Dozens of celebrities around the world, including Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Harry Styles have posted messages of support for those who have lost loved ones in the dreadful blast.
Manchester born Liam Gallagher also led the tributes, with former Manchester United players David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo also sharing tweets with messages of unity for everyone affected.
The attack took place at 10:35pm, just minutes after Ariana Grande had finished her gig – in which thousands of teenagers, young people and children were in attendance.
At present 22 people have been declared dead and 59 others injured, with the death toll expected to rise.
The first named victim was 18-year-old Ariana superfan Georgina Callander, who sadly died as a result of the blast.
A second victim was named as eight-year-old Saffie-Rose Roussos and a third victim, 26-year-old John Atkinson.
The suicide bomber was identified as 22-year-old Salman Abedi, who died at the scene after causing widespread destruction and horrendous loss of life.
While earlier today, a 23-year-old man was arrested in Chorlton, South Manchester in connection to the terrorist attack.
Shortly after the explosion, police investigated reports of an unknown ‘suspect’ object, which was later detonated in a controlled explosion in Cathedral Gardens, in the city centre and found to be abandoned clothing.
Following the explosion, the area quickly became surrounded by emergency service vehicles, who were quick to attend to the many injured and walking wounded.
After the incident, Manchester Victoria Station was promptly closed, with cancellations to all train and tram services.
Police are encouraging anyone with any photos or information regarding the attack to send them to: ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk or upload them at: ukpoliceimageappeal.com.
They are also urging people with any information at all, to contact the terrorist hotline on: 0800 789 321.
