At least 19 people were killed in a blast at a concert in the English city of Manchester on Monday where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing and two U.S. officials said a suicide bomber was suspected in the explosion.<\/p>\n
British police said the incident, in which at least 50 people were injured, was being treated as a terrorist incident. Police carried out a controlled explosion on a suspect device several hours after the blast.<\/p>\n
Police said they responded to reports of an explosion shortly after 10:35 pm (2135 GMT) at the arena, which has a capacity for 21,000 people, and where the U.S. singer had been performing to an audience that included many children.<\/p>\n
If confirmed as a terrorism incident, it would be the deadliest attack in Britain by militants since four British Muslims killed 52 people in suicide bombings on London\u2019s transport system in July 2005.<\/p>\n
The blast also came two and half weeks ahead of an election in which Prime Minister Theresa May is predicted by opinion polls to win a large majority.<\/p>\n
A witness who attended the concert said she felt a huge blast as she was leaving the arena, followed by screaming and a rush by thousands of people trying to escape the building. A video posted on Twitter showed fans, many of them young, running from the venue.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were making our way out and when we were right by the door there was a massive explosion and everybody was screaming,\u201d concert-goer Catherine Macfarlane told Reuters.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a huge explosion \u2013 you could feel it in your chest. It was chaotic. Everybody was running and screaming and just trying to get out.\u201d<\/p>\n
A spokesman for Ariana Grande, 23, said the singer was \u201cokay\u201d.<\/p>\n
Manchester Arena, the largest indoor arena in Europe, opened in 1995 and is a popular concert and sporting venue.<\/p>\n
Britain is on its second-highest alert level of \u201csevere\u201d meaning an attack by militants is considered highly likely.<\/p>\n
British counter-terrorism police have said they are making on average an arrest every day in connection with suspected terrorism.<\/p>\n
In March, a British-born convert to Islam plowed a car into pedestrians on London\u2019s Westminster Bridge, killing four people, before stabbing to death a police officer who was on the grounds of parliament. He was shot dead at the scene.<\/p>\n
Courtesy: Reuters<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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