Manchester Arena bombing

Manchester Arena bombing
Part of terrorism in the United Kingdom and Islamic terrorism in Europe
Manchester Arena in 2019
Manchester Arena Manchester Arena bombing (Greater Manchester)
Location	Manchester Arena Manchester, England
Coordinates	53°29′17″N 2°14′38″W / 53.48806°N 2.24389°W / 53.48806; -2.24389
Date	22 May 2017; 6 years ago (2017-05-22) 10:31 p.m. BST (UTC+01:00)
Target	Concert-goers
Attack type	Islamic terrorism, suicide bombing, mass murder
Weapons	TATP nail bomb
Deaths	23 (including the assailant)
Injured	1,017[a]
Perpetrators	Salman Abedi (bomber) Hashem Abedi (sourced explosive materials)
Motive	Islamist extremism[1]
Verdict	Guilty on all counts
Convictions	Hashem: Murder (x22), attempted murder,[b] conspiracy to cause an explosion
Sentence	Life imprisonment (minimum term 55 years)

The Manchester Arena bombing, or Manchester Arena attack, was an Islamic terrorist suicide bombing of the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, on 22 May 2017, following a concert by American pop singer Ariana Grande. Perpetrated by Islamic extremist Salman Abedi and aided by his brother, Hashem Abedi, the bombing occurred at 10:31 p.m. and killed 22 people, injured 1,017, and destroyed the arena's foyer. It was the deadliest act of terrorism and the first suicide bombing in the United Kingdom since the 7 July 2005 London bombings.

The perpetrator was motivated by the deaths of Muslim children resulting from the American-led intervention in the Syrian Civil War. Carrying a large backpack, he detonated an improvised explosive device containing triacetone triperoxide (TATP) and nuts and bolts serving as shrapnel. After initial suspicions of a terrorist network, police later said they believed Abedi had largely acted alone, but that others had been aware of his plans. In 2020, Hashem Abedi was tried and convicted for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy, and he was sentenced to life imprisonment in August 2020 with a minimum term of 55 years, the longest ever imposed by a British court. A public inquiry released in 2021 found that "more should have been done" by British police to stop the attack, while MI5 admitted it acted "too slowly" in dealing with Abedi.

Grande hosted a benefit concert on 4 June entitled One Love Manchester, raising a total of £17 million towards victims of the bombing, and she briefly suspended her tour. Anti-Muslim hate crimes increased in the Greater Manchester area following the attack, according to police. Prime Minister Theresa May formed the Commission for Countering Extremism in response to the bombing.

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