Update: Five more suspects were arrested in Manchester in connection with the Monday night bombing, bringing the total to six. Two were reportedly a father and son.
Update May 23, 2017, 12:20 p.m.: U.S. officials told The Associated Press the suspected suicide bomber in the Manchester terror attack has been identified as Salman Abedi by British authorities.
This story was originally published on May 23, 2017 at 9:06 a.m.
More than 20 people died in an attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England on Monday night. The police believe one man, who died in the blast, set off an explosive in the arena's foyer. Another man was arrested in the city in connection with the attack. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the fatal blast, making the Manchester concert bombing an act of terror.
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On Tuesday morning, the official death toll rose to 22 people, with 59 injured, making it the most fatal terror attack in the country since 2005, CNN reports. Some of the wounded have life-threatening injuries.
British Prime Minister Theresa May addressed the attack to reporters Tuesday, calling all acts of terrorism "cowardly attacks on innocent people," adding, "but this attack stands out for its appalling, sickening cowardice, deliberately targeting innocent, defenseless children and young people who should have been enjoying one of the most memorable nights of their lives."
May confirmed that a single terrorist set off an explosive device near an exit towards the end of the concert, "deliberately choosing the time and place to cause maximum carnage and to kill and injure indiscriminately."
BREAKING: Islamic State group says one of its members carried out the Manchester attack that killed 22 people.
— The Associated Press (@AP) May 23, 2017
Many of those hurt and killed were children and teenagers. Ambulance officials told The Associated Press at least 12 of the 59 people injured were children under the age of 16.
"We struggle to comprehend the warped and twisted mind that sees a room packed with young children not as a scene to cherish but an opportunity for carnage," May said.
She said the authorities identified the attacker, but she did not reveal their identity.
"Terrorists attempt to disrupt our lives and create distrust and fear in communities," the Greater Manchester Police said in a statement posted to Twitter. "We have a long history in Greater Manchester of communities standing together during difficult times."
President Donald Trump also spoke about the terrorist attack from his trip in the West Bank on Tuesday, calling those who carried it out "evil losers." He said, "This wicked ideology must be obliterated, and I mean completely obliterated and innocent life must be protected."
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