The first image of Salman Abedi, the suicide bomber who killed 22 people at the MEN Arena in Manchester last night, has been released
22-year-old Abedi set off the explosive near the box office of the 21,000 capacity venue at the Ariana Grande concert.
The terrorist, who is reportedly of Libyan origin, was known to authorities prior to last night’s attacks.
The disgusting terrorist attack left at least 22 people dead, most of them under the age of 18, while over 120 others were injured.
There were unconfirmed reports that he created a ‘nail bomb’, and the shrapnel injuries along with nuts and bolts at the scene are consistent with that.
Greater Manchester Police are working to investigate whether the attacker was a lone bomber, or if he is part of a bigger network.
Throughout the day, the police have arrested a man in connection with the case, set off a number of controlled explosions and raided houses around Manchester.
In the aftermath of the attack, Greater Manchester Police carried out a precautionary controlled explosion in Cathedral Gardens, but it turned out to be an unattended item of clothing.
ISIS have claimed the attack as their own, calling him a ‘soldier of the caliphate’, but there is no proof of this yet.
Speaking to UNILAD, 19-year-old Sebastian Diaz, a witness at the scene, said:
Just finished and about to leave into the foyer and there was a massive bang, people stood still and panicked. We were going to go back but we got trapped and sprinted out. People didn’t know where to go and loads of young girls were crying.
A 23-Year-Old man was reportedly arrested in South Manchester in connection with last night’s terror attack.
So far three victims of the harrowing attack have been named as eight-year-old Saffie Rose Roussos , 18-year-old Georgina Callander, and 26-year-old John Atkinson.
A vigil is set to be held at 6pm in Albert Square to pay respects to the victims and show solidarity in Manchester.
Police are encouraging anyone with footage from the scene to upload it at ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk or ukpoliceimageappeal.com. Other information can be reported to the anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789 321.
Our thoughts are with all the victims’ families at this troubling time.
