In the wake of last night’s terrorist attack which killed 22, including children, and injured 59, Harun Khan, above, General Secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain said:
May the perpetrators face the full weight of justice both in this life and the next.
According to this report, at least 22 people, including children, were killed and 59 injured after fans were attacked leaving the Manchester Arena after an Ariana Grande concert last night.
The attack took place at the Manchester Arena last night at the end of an Ariana Grande concert. Grande is an American singer and actress. She abandoned her Catholic faith during Pope Ratzinger’s reign because of his homophobia and is now a dedicated gay rights campaigner.
While the identity of the attacker – who died in the blast – has not yet been made public, a top counter-terror expert says the attack was “absolutely jihadi” in nature.
Khan said today:
My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families.
This is horrific, this is criminal. May the perpetrators face the full weight of justice both in this life and the next. I pay tribute to the police and emergency services who have worked valiantly to save lives last night.They were helped by civilians who rushed in to offer their support.
I urge all those in the region and around the country to pool together to support those affected.
No terror organisations have yet claimed responsibility for the atrocity.
Former MoD counter-terror boss Major General Chip Chapman told Sky News today:
The suicide bomb aspect shows that this is absolutely jihadi, Islamist terrorism.
Another expert, former National Counter Terrorism Office member Lee Dodderidge told Radio 5 Live the attack:
Appeared to have taken quite a considerable amount of planning.
Meanwhile, it’s reported here that Daily Mail journalist, Katie Hopkins, above, has been reported to police for calling for a “final solution” in a tweet following the attack.
The columnist swiftly deleted the tweet, which “echoed the Nazi term for the Holocaust”, amid widespread condemnation for the “despicable” post.
The tweet was deleted and replaced with one reading “true solution”, but critics are calling for Hopkins to be fired by Mail Online and LBC radio.
Hopkins has been reported to the Metropolitan Police over the tweet, which was part of a longer anti-Muslim tirade, but the force said it was too early to confirm whether an investigation would be launched.