A 22-year-old native of Great Britain has been identified as the suicide bomber who killed 22 people and injured 59 others at Manchester Arena on Monday night.
His name is Salman Abedi.
Mourners gather in Britain to pay their respects to those who died in the bombing.
According to The New York Times and other outlets, Salman Abedi resided in a house just three-and-a-half miles from the venue, which was holding an Ariana Grande concert when the terrorist act was carried out.
Police have confirmed that Abedi detonated his explosive just as the concert ended, as thousands of young fans were exiting the arena and heading for the adjacent train station
As of this writing, 22 people are reported dead as a result of the blast, while 59 are seriously injured.
One victim was an 18-year old girl and one was an eight-year old.
Because Grande is especially popular among this young demographic, a significant number of those killed or wounded were teenagers or children.
At a late afternoon news conference, Chief Constable Ian Hopkins of the Greater Manchester Police named Abedi as the bomber and added that he died in the blast.
A man creates a heart symbol with his hands in front of Nelson’s Column during a vigil for the victims of the Manchester Arena terror attack in Trafalgar Square.
Abedi was reportedly known to British authorities prior to this incident.
Details on such sensitive information are understandably scarce at the moment, but he was recognized as a potential terrorist before blowing him and many others up on Monday.
Abedi was registered as living in a Manchester house where police set off a controlled explosion Tuesday, the Associated Press reported, citing voting records.
He was born in Great Britain in 1994 to parents who came to the country from Libya, according to an official who spoke to The New York Times.
“The priority remains to establish whether he was acting alone or as part of a network,” Chief Constable Hopkins said as part of a longer statement while addressing the press today.
Here’s a look at excerpts from that exchange:
Earlier in the day, ISIS issued its claim of responsibility for the fatal act in a brief, generic statement that did not identify the bomber and appeared to get a few of the facts wrong.
It alleged a “caliphate soldier managed to place a number of devices among a gathering of crusaders in Manchester, and detonated them.”
That is not what actually transpired, but the bottom line is that this explosion marked the deadliest mass killing in Great Britain since the 2005 London subway bombings, which left 52 people dead.
As for how officials feel confident that was behind the attack?
His ID was found at the scene of the bombing, according to a law enforcement official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the investigation remains underway.
Abedi lived with his family and “didn’t really speak to anyone,” a neighbor tells The New York Times, adding that he seemed “nice” if you wandered past him.
Police have also arrested a 23-year-old as part of their investigation into what happened.
Reaction to the heinous act continues to come in, from all corners of the world.
Donald Trump has referred to the perpetrators as “losers,” while Grande simply said she was “broken” on Twitter.
British Prime Minister Theresa May called the explosion “a callous terror attack” and said it was “among the worst terrorist incidents we have ever experienced in the United Kingdom.”
She added:
“This attack stands out for its appalling, sickening cowardice, deliberately targeting innocent, defenseless children and young people.”
We continue to pray for all affected and we’ll continue to update the site with more news as it breaks.
May all the victims rest in peace.