Terrorist attack in Manchester on May 22nd 2017

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Terrorist attack in Manchester on May 22nd 2017
Manchester (United Kingdom)
Manchester
Manchester
place Manchester Arena in Manchester , United Kingdom
date May 22, 2017, approx. 10:30 p.m. ( BST )
target Civilians
Type Suicide bombing
dead 23 (including assassin)
Injured 800+
Perpetrator Salman Abedi

The terrorist attack in Manchester on May 22, 2017 was an Islamist suicide bombing that took place after a pop concert by the American singer Ariana Grande in the Manchester Arena in Manchester . The attack was the worst in the UK .

Sequence of events

Shortly after the end of the concert (around 10:30 p.m. local time), there was an explosion in the foyer of the arena. The singer Ariana Grande was unharmed in the attack. The concert on their Dangerous Woman Tour had around 20,000 mostly younger visitors.

Victim

23 people, including the assassin, were killed. 116 injured were taken to hospitals. In May 2018, the total number of injuries was corrected to over 800. Children were also among the fatalities, and twelve of the injured were younger than 16 years of age. The youngest child killed in the attack was eight years old.

Perpetrator

Salman Abedi

Salman Abedi, a well-known police officer, is said to have detonated an explosive charge hidden in a rucksack that was studded with numerous metal parts such as nuts and bolts.

The perpetrator was born in 1994 in Manchester to a Libyan family. The family fled Libya in 1991 because their father had supported an Islamist revolt against the ruler Gaddafi there. The father returned to Libya in 2011 to take part in the civil war in Libya . His sons are said to have gone to their father during the school holidays to support him in the war. The father stayed in Libya after the war and the sons visited him several times. Salman Abedi left Libya for the last time on May 17, 2017 and returned to England.

British media reported that authorities had been warned several times that Abedi had changed before the crime. Two years earlier, members of the Didsbury Mosque , which he was visiting, had turned to employees of the “Prevent” program and warned against Abedi. Prevent is a UK Home Office program that aims to prevent radicalization. At least five times people from his environment had contacted official bodies and pointed out that Abedi thought suicide bombings were "okay". According to a report in the Times, a relative also warned the British domestic secret service MI5 about Abedi.

Although Salman Abedi was known to the British security authorities before the attack and he was on the files of the MI5 domestic intelligence service, he had not been investigated. This led to criticism for possible omissions and an internal investigation by MI5.

IS contact

Secret service agents say that Abedi is said to have met representatives of the terrorist organization IS , which belong to the Katibat al-Battar al-Libi terrorist cell, in Sabrata and Tripoli while he was in Libya . It consists of remnants of a combat unit made up of Libyans and European Islamists that fought for IS during the Syrian civil war. The terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015 in Paris are also attributed to the group. Abedi is said to have been in regular contact with the group, either via disposable telephones or via messages passed on by an IS contact in Belgium or Germany.

Hachem Abedi

On August 20, 2020, Salman Abedi's brother, Hachem Abedi, was found "equally responsible for deaths and injuries caused by the explosion" by a UK court. According to the judge, Hachem Abedi was an integral part of the planning for the terrorist attack. He also played a key role in ordering chemicals and organizing the transportation of materials for the explosive charge. Hachem Abedi was sentenced to at least 55 years in prison.

Investigations and arrests

The police classified the event as a terrorist attack. On the night of the crime, at 02:43 a.m. (CEST), the Reuters news agency , which cited two US officials, reported that the explosion was a suicide attack. British investigators confirmed this on the morning of May 23, 2017. The police and the domestic secret service MI5 initially assumed that it was the act of a terrorist network. On the afternoon of May 23, 2017, a 23-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with the attack in the south of Manchester.

Because of the complexity of the explosive device used, said BBC terror expert Frank Gardner: "The explosive device was too complicated for a single man to assemble." Therefore the search for the people behind it was intensified.

Another three people were arrested on the morning of May 24, 2017. The police did not initially disclose how they relate to the crime.

In the course of May 24, 2017, the younger brother Hachem Abedi and Ramadan Abedi, the suspect's father, were arrested in Tripoli . You should have known about the plans. Hachem Abedi is said to have planned an attack on the German diplomat Martin Kobler at the beginning of 2017 . The attack on Kobler's convoy, which was traveling as the United Nations' special envoy in Libya, was prevented. Ismael Abedi, an older brother of Salman Abedi, is also in custody.

A woman arrested in Blackley on the evening of May 24, 2017 was released the next morning. On May 29, 2017, 14 suspects were in custody in the UK, up from 11 on May 31. On June 11, all those arrested in Britain were released; they were not accused of anything, the police said.

At the end of May 2017, the British police had moved away from their assumption that there was a network behind Abedi. He took many actions up to the act alone. The investigation revealed that he had built the bomb himself. It remained unclear whether he had obtained all parts without assistance. The investigation was therefore continued.

In mid-2018 it became known that Abedi had been rescued from the civil war in Libya by the British Navy three years before the attack and had been evacuated from Tripoli in August 2014 together with his brother Hashem on the HMS Enterprise (H88) and more than 100 other British nationals . He was observed by security forces on his entry into Libya, but his file was closed a month before his evacuation.

Backgrounds and motifs

The second highest terror warning level 4 has been in effect in Great Britain since August 2014. After the attack, Prime Minister Theresa May raised the terror warning level to 5 (“critical”), the highest in Great Britain. On May 27, the warning level was lowered to the second highest ("serious").

Shortly before the attack, the perpetrator had told a relative that he was acting out of revenge for the death of a friend of Muslim faith; In general, he said that the British were unfair to Arabs.

The Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia committed itself to the crime . A “caliphate soldier” managed to set and detonate “explosives in the middle of the crusader gathering ” in a “shameless concert hall”, said the IS spokesperson Amaq . It also threatened further attacks.

Effects

The area around the arena was cordoned off and the injured were taken to surrounding hospitals. At around 1:35 a.m. BST, police blew up a suspicious item in Cathedral Gardens Park , but it turned out to be just left behind clothing.

The station Manchester Victoria Station , which is located right next to the hall, was evacuated and closed. On the morning of May 23, 2017, British media reported that London's central bus station, Victoria Coach Station , had also been evacuated. The reason for this was a suspicious package that was discovered near the station. The police cordoned off a large area. The lock was lifted a few hours later.

Reactions

A few hours after the concert ended, Ariana Grande spoke up via Twitter and Facebook : “My heart is broken. I'm so sorry. Words fail me. ”She interrupted her tour up to and including June 5, 2017. On May 26, 2017, she announced the One Love Manchester benefit concert for the victims of the attack, which took place on June 4, 2017 in Manchester. In addition to Grande, Justin Bieber , Coldplay , Katy Perry , Miley Cyrus , Pharrell Williams , Take That and Niall Horan appeared.

The British Prime Minister Theresa May convened the security cabinet. The election campaign for the 2017 parliamentary elections was suspended until May 26, 2017.

Pope Francis called the “barbaric assassination” in Manchester a “senseless act of violence”.

The American President Donald Trump named the group of perpetrators as "malicious losers". Russian President Vladimir Putin renewed his willingness to cooperate with Britain in the fight against international terrorism.

In Germany, too, the election campaign events scheduled for the following day by Angela Merkel and Horst Seehofer were canceled or postponed for reasons of piety .

Disclosure of Confidential Information

According to a report in the British newspaper The Guardian , US authorities broke the confidentiality of British information and leaked some to the media. This included forensic photos of the detonator of the explosive device at the crime scene and biographical details about the perpetrator. British Home Secretary Amber Rudd sharply criticized the piercing; this information could jeopardize the success of the investigation. After the US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson expressed his regret over the disclosure of information to his British counterpart Boris Johnson , Great Britain resumed the intermittent exchange of information with the USA.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Reports of explosions at a pop concert - police confirm several fatalities. In: Welt Online. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017 .
  2. ↑ Explosion in Manchester Arena - 19 dead and around 50 injured at a pop concert. In: Swiss radio and television. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017 .
  3. ↑ a b c d Florian Rötzer: Islamic State ascribes attack in Manchester. In: heise.de. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2017 .
  4. ↑ May sets terror warning level from "serious" to "critical". In: FAZ. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2017 .
  5. ↑ Manchester: IS claims attack for itself. In: The time . May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017 .
  6. ↑ After the terrorist attack: Again large-scale operation in Manchester. (No longer available online.) In: Die Zeit. May 25, 2017, archived from the original on May 25, 2017 ; accessed on May 15, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.zeit.de
  7. ↑ Manchester Arena attack: Bomb 'injured more than 800' . In: BBC News , May 16, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2019. 
  8. ↑ a b c Explosion at Ariana Grande concert: 22 dead. In: focus.de. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017 .
  9. ↑ What we know - and what not. In: spiegel.de. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017 .
  10. ↑ CJ Chivers: Found at the Scene in Manchester: Shrapnel, a Backpack and a Battery. In: New York Times . May 24, 2017, accessed May 27, 2017 .
  11. ↑ Manchester bomber named by police. In: BBC News. May 23, 2017, accessed May 23, 2017 .
  12. ↑ Manchester attack: 22 dead and 59 hurt in suicide bombing. In: BBC News. May 23, 2017, accessed May 23, 2017 .
  13. ↑ What we know about the assassin. In: faz.net. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2017 .
  14. ↑ Timeline Shows Manchester Bomber's Family's Deep Ties to Libya. In: New York Times . May 27, 2017, accessed May 31, 2017.
  15. ↑ Stefanie Bolzen: On the street he trilled loudly Islamic chants. In: welt.de. May 27, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017 .
  16. ↑ Have the authorities been warned about the attacker Abedi? In: faz.net. May 29, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2017 . ; MI5 was reportedly warned three times. In: spiegel.de. May 29, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2017 .
  17. ^ Rukmini Callimachi, Eric Schmitt: Manchester Bomber Met With ISIS Unit in Libya, Officials Say . In: The New York Times . June 3, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  18. ^ Bomber's brother gets 55 years for Manchester concert attack. In: Associated Press. August 21, 2020, accessed on August 21, 2020 .
  19. ^ After the appearance of Ariana Grande - explosion at a pop concert in Manchester - many dead. In: tagesspiegel.de. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017 .
  20. ↑ BREAKING: Suicide bomber suspected in Manchester Arena explosion - two US officials. In: twitter.com. May 23, 2017, accessed May 23, 2017 .
  21. ↑ Manchester: 19 dead in explosion during concert. In: faz.net. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017 .
  22. ↑ Sean O'Neill: Was Manchester terrorist linked to jihadists returning from Syria? In: thetimes.co.uk. May 23, 2017, accessed May 23, 2017 .
  23. ↑ Brother: Abedi was a member of the IS terrorist militia. In: t-online.de. May 24, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017 .
  24. ↑ Breaking news: Manchester: Police arrest three other suspects. In: tagesschau.de. May 24, 2017. Retrieved May 24, 2017 .
  25. ↑ a b c suicide bomber is said to have been a member of IS. In: faz.net. May 24, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017 .
  26. ↑ Brother of the Manchester assassin arrested in Libya. In: diepresse.com. May 24, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017 .
  27. ↑ Father of the terror bomber arrested during an interview. In: krone.at. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017 .
  28. ↑ The assassin's brother planned an attack on German UN envoy. In: zeit.de. May 28, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2017 .
  29. ↑ Two more arrests after the Manchester attack
  30. ↑ Police now have 14 suspects in custody. In: tagesschau.de. May 29, 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2017 .
  31. ↑ Police: The Manchester assassin acted largely alone. In: focus.de. May 31, 2017, accessed May 31, 2017 .
  32. ^ All suspects released in Manchester. In: swr.de. June 11, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017 .
  33. ↑ Police no longer assume the terror network. In: zeit.de. May 31, 2017, accessed May 31, 2017 .
  34. ↑ The perpetrator acted largely alone. In: faz.net. May 31, 2017, accessed May 31, 2017 .
  35. ↑ All suspects arrested have been released. In: zeit.de. June 11, 2017. Retrieved June 11, 2017 .
  36. ^ British soldiers rescued Manchester assassins from Libya in 2014 , WeltN24, July 31, 2018.
  37. ↑ Great Britain raises terror warning level - May: Another attack may be "imminent". In: focus.de. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017 .
  38. ↑ Great Britain is lowering the terror warning level. In: faz.net. May 27, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017 .
  39. ↑ Salman Abedi is said to have telephoned his mother before the attack. In: zeit.de. May 26, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017 .
  40. ↑ IS claims the attack for itself - 23-year-old arrested. In: focus.de. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017 .
  41. ↑ Officers carrying out a precautionary controlled explosion in Cathedral Garden confirm… In: twitter.com. May 23, 2017, accessed May 23, 2017 .
  42. ↑ This is what Ariana Grande says (23), «My heart is broken. I am so sorry." In: blick.ch . May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 23, 2017 .
  43. ↑ Ariana Grande cancels concerts on her world tour. In: spiegel.de. May 24, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017 .
  44. ↑ Ariana Grande appears with Coldplay and Justin Bieber. In: Spiegel Online. May 30, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017 .
  45. ↑ May attacks challengers over comments about Manchester. In: spiegel.de. May 27, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017 .
  46. ^ Stop in Manchester: The Pope condolences. In: radiovaticana.va. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017 .
  47. ↑ Trump calls the assassin "malicious loser". In: welt.de. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017 .
  48. ↑ Terrorist attack in Manchester: This is how the international community reacts. In: rt.com. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017 .
  49. ↑ Mike Schier: Because of the Manchester attack: Merkel and Seehofer's appearance canceled. In: merkur.de. May 23, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017 .
  50. ↑ US leak makes for a solid noise. In: tagesschau.de. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017 .
  51. ↑ Veit Medick : Attack on the leakers. In: spiegel.de. May 26, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017 .
  52. ↑ British angry about US leaks. In: spiegel.de. May 25, 2017. Retrieved May 25, 2017 . ; Ewen MacAskill, Julian Borger: Photographs of Manchester bomb parts published after leak. In: theguardian.com. May 24, 2017, accessed May 25, 2017 .
  53. ↑ Great Britain lowers terror warning level. In: zeit.de. May 27, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2017 .

Coordinates: 53 ° 29 '17.4 "  N , 2 ° 14' 35.3"  W.