UPDATE 5/24/2017- Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, said: “I would like to confirm that we are confident that we have now spoken to all the immediate families of those who sadly died in Monday’s attack and they are all now being supported by specially trained officers.
“Due to the number of victims, forensic post-mortems are likely to take between four and five days. After this, we will be in a position to formally name the victims with guidance from the Coroner. We have also spoken to all of the families and all of those who are currently lying injured in hospital and are doing all we can to support them.
“You will be aware that the level of activity in this investigation is intense and is continuing at pace. We made three arrests in connection with the attacks overnight and this afternoon we entered an address in Manchester City Centre using a controlled explosion. Officers are currently at the scene but in order to do this safely, we briefly had to close a nearby mainline railway, which has now been reopened. Those extensive searches will now continue.
“In total, we currently have four people in custody.
“People will have seen a significant increase in the number of armed officers in Greater Manchester. We have been supported by forces in the North West and beyond in order to do this and this all forms part of our tried and tested plan for a major terrorist incident.
“With the threat level being increased to critical you will be aware that military are supporting policing across the country. This is about using the military across sites in London and elsewhere to free up armed police officers to support police forces.
“There are no military personnel patrolling Manchester but we are therefore able to receive additional armed policing support because of this plan. We are using this to help in our efforts enable the Manchester Games and Manchester 10k to go ahead.
“We are working with event organizers and Manchester City Council to review and enhance our safety and security.”
UPDATE 5/24/2017 11:11 am-
Three men have been arrested after police executed warrants in South Manchester in connection with the ongoing investigation into Monday night’s horrific attack at the Manchester arena.
UPDATE 5/23/2017 11:47 am- Suicide bomber at Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, UK, identified by British investigators as Salman Abedi, U.S. officials tell The Associated Press.
UPDATE 9:00 am- Per Greater Manchester Police; warrants have been executed at two locations, Whalley Range and Falllowfield. No word on the nature of what the warrants are for.
UPDATE 5/23/2017 8:45 am- Multiple news agencies are reporting that Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS; has claimed responsibility for the attack. A reported statement made by the group was translated from Arabic which stated,” a soldier of the caliphate placed explosives among a gathering of crusaders-meaning Christians- at the Manchester Arena.” That statement also said about 30 were killed and about 70 injured.
This has been reported by multiple agencies with no official statement coming out. Also, multiple news agencies are reporting an arrest of a 22-year-old male at the Arndale Centre earlier this morning. Greater Manchester Police have stated on their Twitter account that this man is not currently believed to be connected to the attacks.
UPDATE 5/23/2017 8:30 am- Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said: “This has been the most horrific incident we have had to face in Greater Manchester and one that we all hoped we would never see.
“Families and many young people were out to enjoy a concert at the Manchester Arena and have lost their lives. Our thoughts are with those 22 victims that we now know have died, the 59 people who have been injured and their loved ones. We continue to do all we can to support them. They are being treated at eight hospitals across Greater Manchester.
“This is a fast-moving investigation and we have significant resources deployed to both the investigation and the visible patrols that people will see across Greater Manchester as they wake up to news of the events last night. This will include armed officers as people would expect. More than 400 officers have been involved in this operation during the night.
“To remind you, we were called at 10.33pm to reports of an explosion at the Manchester Arena at the conclusion of an Ariana Grande concert. More than 240 calls came in and emergency services were very quickly on the scene. Emergency numbers have been established for anyone who is concerned for loved ones who may not have returned home 0161 856 9400 or 0161 856 9900.
“We have been treating this as a terrorist incident and we believe, at this stage, the attack last night was conducted by one man. The priority is to establish whether he was acting alone or as part of a network.
“The attacker, I can confirm, died at the arena. We believe the attacker was carrying an improvised explosive device which he detonated causing this atrocity.
“We would ask people not to speculate on his details or to share names. There is a complex and wide-ranging investigation underway.
“Our priority is to work with the National Counter Terrorist Policing Network and UK intelligence services to establish more details about the individual who carried out this attack.
“We have received tremendous support from across the police services and partner agencies throughout the night.
“We regularly carry out exercises to test our ability to respond to such incidents and this has ensured a very swift response from local and national agencies. I want to thank all those members of the emergency services and other agencies who have worked tirelessly through the night in very difficult circumstances. Their response has been outstanding.
“There remains a large cordon in place around Manchester Arena and Victoria Train Station which will be in place for some time. The station will remain closed while a detailed forensic search is underway. People should plan their route to work and follow Transport for Greater Manchester for updates on social media.
“Terrorists attempt to disrupt our lives and create distrust and fear in communities. We have a long history in Greater Manchester of communities standing together during difficult times. In the coming days, we will be working closely with community leaders to address any issues.
“It is important that we all continue to remain vigilant, but also to go about our daily lives. We would ask people to be alert and report any suspicious activity to police on the Anti-Terrorist Hotline 0800 789321 or dialing 999.
“As people are waking up to this tragic news on what is a sad day for Greater Manchester, the officers and staff from Greater Manchester Police and the other emergency services will continue to do all they can to help get us through the difficult days ahead.”
If you have any images or footage from last night that you believe can assist us then upload them to Ukpoliceimageappeal.co.uk or Ukpoliceimageappeal.com
Update – The Department of Homeland Security is closely monitoring the situation at Manchester Arena in the United Kingdom. We are working with our foreign counterparts to obtain additional information about the cause of the reported explosion as well as the extent of injuries and fatalities. U.S. citizens in the area should heed direction from local authorities and maintain security awareness. We encourage any affected U.S. citizens who need assistance to contact the U.S. Embassy in London and follow Department of State guidance.
At this time, we have no information to indicate a specific credible threat involving music venues in the United States. However, the public may experience increased security in and around public places and events as officials take additional precautions.
England – Just before 10:35pm. on Monday May 22, 2017, police were called to reports of an explosion at Manchester Arena. So far 19 people have been confirmed dead, with around 50 others injured. This is currently being treated as a terrorist incident until police know otherwise.