12:30am UPDATE: Alongside some news reports that the bomber died at the scene, an arrest has been made.
11:09am UPDATE: Theresa May says authorities are aware of the identity of the attacker.
07:00am UPDATE: The death toll has risen to 22 with 59 injured. Police believe the attack was carried out by one man, and are investigating if he was part of a wider network. The man died at the scene after detonating an explosive device – a suicide bomber.
All national campaigning for the general election has been suspended.
01:49am UPDATE: A suicide bomber has been arrested.
01:23am UPDATE: A second device has been found and police have instigated a controlled explosion.
Meanwhile…
01:13am UPDATE: Confirmed fatalities have reached 19 and injuries over 50, including a large group of young girls. The incident is being treated as a terror attack.
01:04am UPDATE: Early estimates have put the fatalities at double figures and London is beginning to respond.
00:51am UPDATE: Armed police have pulled a suspect out of a car and arrested him
ORIGINAL POST:
Just before 10:35pm on Monday 22nd of May police in Manchester responded to a “serious incident” during an Ariana Grande concert at the city’s arena, amid unconfirmed reports online of an explosion.
As the audience were exiting the arena at the end of the performance, explosions were heard and crowds began to rush out of the arena, reportedly crushing adults and children.
Manchester police have since confirmed several casualties. Bomb disposals are are on the scene, and police have cordoned off Victoria Station and Manchester Arena.
22-year-old Majid Khan who was at the concert said, “I and my sister, along with a lot of others were seeing Ariana Grande perform at Manchester Arena, and we were all exiting the venue when around 10.40-10.45pm-ish a huge bomb-like bang went off that hugely panicked everyone and we were all trying to flee the arena.
“It was one bang and essentially everyone from the other side of the arena where the bang was heard from suddenly came running towards us as they were trying to exit Trinity Way and that was blocked so everyone was just running to any exit they could find as quickly as they could.
“Everyone was in a huge state of panic, calling each other as some had gone to the toilet whilst this had gone off, so it was just extremely disturbing for everyone there.”
A reporter from The Sun tweeted the following unconfirmed report from NHS staff:
In the middle of the tradgedy, Manchester came together to help out its citizens.