Islamic State claims Manchester concert bombing
Video purports to show perpetrator as supporters celebrate UK terror attack that killed 22 and injured 59
The Islamic State group claimed responsibility on Tuesday for bombing a pop concert in the British city of Manchester and killing 22 people, including children.
The group said in a statement published on its social media channels that “one of the caliphate’s soldiers placed bombs among the crowds,” and threatened more attacks.
British police said they had arrested a suspect in connection with the attack.
“With regards to the ongoing investigation into last night’s horrific attack at the Manchester Arena, we can confirm we have arrested a 23-year-old man in South Manchester,” police said in a statement.
The English version pic.twitter.com/JGtjEPqjuV
— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) May 23, 2017
Earlier, a pro-Islamic State social media account published a video purporting to be show the Manchester bomber.
“This is only the beginning,” a masked man in front of an Islamic State flag says in the video, speaking in accented English. He add, “The lions of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham are beginning to attack all of the crusaders.”
The man also held up a piece of paper with the word Manchester and Monday’s date.
https://twitter.com/Behind__News/status/866913779283623936
Even before official confirmation that the attack was carried out by Islamic State, many pro-IS people took to Twitter to celebrate.
1) No claim regarding blast in #Manchester, but #ISIS accounts celebrating the attack, disseminating media & threats pic.twitter.com/Z8VqKWUkXD
— Rita Katz (@Rita_Katz) May 23, 2017
A user called @OWYS663 in a now deleted Twitter account appeared to have tweeted about the attack several hours before it happened, using the hashtag #ManchesterArena and the IS flag. But it is unclear whether the time stamp on the tweet is authentic or whether it was tweeted after the attack.
Can you believe this….
Account @owys663 posting 4 hours before #ManchesterArena terror attack!!! pic.twitter.com/dGLsmlgRQn— Sara Prinsloo Art (@saraprinslooart) May 23, 2017
Twitter has suspended dozens of accounts since the attack.
The explosion at the end of a sold-out concert by US star Ariana Grande in the 21,000-capacity Manchester Arena in northwestern England was the deadliest terror attack in Britain for more than a decade.
Twenty-two people were confirmed dead, and many of the 59 people injured have life-threatening conditions, British Prime Minister Theresa May said Tuesday.
“We know that among those killed and injured were many children and young people,” she added.
The Times of Israel Community.