OF THE
TIMES
"They knew exactly what they were doing. This didn't really happen overnight. They've been preparing for this for a while; this is a very large attack. It wouldn't have happened overnight," El-Said said. "There was definitely some planning because the scale of the attack was much larger than to be done spontaneously," he added.RT has a timeline of the attack with videos here. RT interviews a witness below:
The counter terrorism expert also warned that the attack might mark a move away from gun and knife attacks, such as the lone wolf attack in Westminster in March and those seen in Europe recently. "You have also to understand that this is different to the attacks that have recently been experienced in London, France, and Belgium, where individuals are carrying weapons and going into certain places and attacking and fighting until the end.
"We haven't really seen such a scale in the West in terms of suicide for a while now. I think that is one of the reasons, obviously, because they are always looking for soft targets. It was a very soft target last night, people having a nice time in the largest indoor arena in Manchester," he said.
El-Said pointed out that the attackers "chose their timing very carefully" to coincide with "when people are leaving, going to meet their parents, to pick them up and their parents were coming in. It was a perfect timing for the terrorists."
"ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack in Manchester, although they claim responsibility for virtually every attack," he said in a statement. "We have not verified yet the connection. We spent a significant amount of time discussing threats to our respective homelands. It's a tragic situation that we see all too much of in countries around the world, particularly our allies. Once again, it reminds us that this threat is real, it is not going away and needs significant attention to do everything we can to protect our people from these kinds of attacks," he said.ISIS did claim responsibility, but didn't give any details, so Coats's skepticism is justified at this point.
"So if anyone is feeling panicked about the timing of this I would just urge them to be calm and united. I have colleagues who are great civil libertarians and human rights folk and privy councillors and I think it is possible to take this forward in a bipartisan way."Indeed. And as for the conspiracy theories, they really are pesky, aren't they? Can't have anyone pointing out the decades of collusion between the UK and the very Muslim terrorists the public is so terrified of.
Her comments came after a Labour Party activist referred to the terrorist attack as "wonderful timing for [Prime Minister] Theresa May."
"What has happened in Manchester is awful and my thoughts are with the families. However I can't help thinking this is wonderful timing for Theresa May," the vice-chairman of Stroud's Constituency Labour Party, Debbie Hicks, wrote on Facebook.
"It is well known that politicians use events as part of their campaigns or messages."
Hicks later apologized for the crass comment but was suspended following the incident.
She wasn't the only one to speculate about the timing.
"Abhorrent what has happened in Manchester and it is revolting that Theresa May supporters are using this to attack Corbyn," tweeted a man named Sean McColgan.
"I can't help think events in Manchester will benefit May and the cranks who will vote for her, sadly," fellow user Sean Turner echoed.
Hashem Abedi, an engineering student in Manchester University, "was aware of all the details" of his brother's plans to attack the arena, Libyan counter terrorism police (RADA) said in a statement. Hashem Abedi was arrested in Tripoli on Tuesday on suspicion of links to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).Back in the UK, police made their 7th arrest in connection with the attack (6 men, 1 woman). One suspect was tackled to the ground by police with a "suspicious object", prompting a bomb squad to cordon off the area. Police are being tight-lipped regarding details. Interestingly, despite initial "lone wolf" statements, the police have advanced from considering the possibility of accomplices to more definite statements: "I think it's very clear that this is a network that we are investigating," said police chief Ian Hopkins. Usually the narrative shifts in the other direction.
In its statement, RADA said the 20-year-old admitted that his brother had links with IS and confessed that he himself was in Britain during the planning and preparation of the attack. RADA say Hashem left Britain on April 16 but was constantly in contact with his brother Salman Abedi prior to the terrorist attack.
A former unnamed British intelligence chief told Newsweek that US sources were unreliable with sensitive information, claiming they "just blabbermouth it and it's really, really unhelpful."Update (May 25): One of Abedi's relatives had apparently warned British authorities (specifically, MI5) about Salman, saying he was dangerous and thought suicide bombings were "OK". Five years ago, his friends even called Britain's anti-terrorist hotline about their concerns. Authorities didn't do anything about it (shades of Tamerlan Tsarnaev). Abedi is said to have called his family in Tripoli 15 minutes before the attack. Contrary to his father's claims from yesterday, friends of the family told the Times that Salman's father had been so worried about Salman's radicalization that he demanded his son move to Libya, and confiscated his passport (he returned the passport after Salman said he wanted to make a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia).
"I think he saw children—Muslim children—dying everywhere, and wanted revenge. He saw the explosives America drops on children in Syria, and he wanted revenge," she said. "Whether he got that is between him and God."One of Abedi's friends was murdered in Manchester in May 2016 in what police think was a gang-related killing. However, the same family friend says Abedi say it as a hate crime:
and grew increasingly angry about what he considered ill-treatment of Muslims in Britain. "I remember Salman at his funeral vowing revenge," the Abedi family friend said.Manchester police say the 8 arrests they have made are "significant" to the attack, revealing items deemed "very important" to the investigation. The one woman arrested has been released.
Abedi became increasingly religious, family members said, and interested in extremist groups. A cousin, who declined to be named, said Abedi's parents worried he was headed toward violence.
"We knew he was going to cause trouble," the family friend said. "You could see that something was going to happen, sooner or later."
According to Reuters, the halt in sharing information with the US will remain in place until Britain gets assurances no further leaks will occur. "This is until such time as we have assurances that no further unauthorized disclosures will occur," a source, who spoke to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, said.Trump agrees:
Speaking on Thursday, chief constable Ian Hopkins told media: ... "When that trust is breached it undermines these relationships, and undermines our investigations and the confidence of victims, witnesses and their families. This damage is even greater when it involves unauthorised disclosure of potential evidence in the middle of a major counter terrorism investigation."
The most senior US diplomat in Britain has also condemned the media leaks and called for the US government to take action to identify those responsible. "These leaks were reprehensible, deeply distressing. We unequivocally condemn them," Lewis Lukens, US charge d'affaires in London and acting ambassador to Britain, told the BBC. "The United States government is launching an investigation into these leaks and will take appropriate action once we identify the source of the leaks," he said. "We are determined to identify these leaks and to stop them."
...
Hours before the latest leaks were published in the New York Times, UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd said she had "been very clear with our friends that should not happen again," after the first set of leaks to the US press, which included details about the death toll and the bomber's name, which the police had not been planning to release at that stage.
A government source told the BBC the leaks were "on another level" and had caused "disbelief and astonishment" within the government.
The UK's National Police Chiefs' Council slammed the "unauthorised disclosure" and said it was a breach of trust that undermines a "major counter-terrorism investigation."
President Donald Trump condemned the US intelligence agencies leaking information about the Manchester terrorist attack to the media and vowed to prosecute the culprits.Update (May 26): Friends and acquaintances apparently warned British authorities about Abedi 5 times in 5 years. While police are looking into his possible network, they say it's possible he made the bomb himself, according to source for Reuters. Police found a "huge load of unused chemicals" at Abedi's Manchester address, according to NBC.
"The alleged leaks coming out of government agencies are deeply troubling," Trump said in a statement, released by the White House on Thursday.
"I am asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter, and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
"There is no relationship we cherish more than the Special Relationship" between the US and the UK, he added.
This will REALLY get the UK looking for "payback" ... My thoughts and prayers to the United KingdomI have greater sympathies for the 1000s of civilians that will pay with their lives to fulfil the UK's "payback" ... strictly a numbers game
(including an 8-year-old girl)sub clause ... do we really want to continue down that road?
Named as 22-year-old Salman Abedi, but he hasn't been "formally identified" yet ... US media organizations ignored British police's request to keep silent on Abedi's nameThis article was published at 00:007 UTC ... the incident occurred 21:30 UTC
Apparently, running people over with a car, isn't good enough; they had to go and use a bomb!
I am reading at other sources it was a "nail bomb"? Every one of those young teenagers received a "mind warp" with this very traumatic event! They will be affected by it the rest of their lives. Not to mention what some of them had to see, and endure injuries of their own.
At least 19 dead at this time... so sad, and tragic. Just beginning their lives..and now gone.
This will REALLY get the UK looking for "payback", and/or the elimination of the culprits....
My thoughts and prayers to the United Kingdom, and those suffering and grieving at this time.
Pravdaseeker