Shard

Someone on LBC made the point today that with the IRA there was an aim (to bring about talks/unification) but with ISIS type terrorism, it's just pure hate.

I think it was detonated as some of the kids had started to leave. It was certainly a very large death/injury toll for a single suicide bomber.

Oakvillian

Truly awful news. The really heartwrenching bit is the flood of appeals for information on those still unaccounted for. And to know that the answer to some of those appeals will be the worst possible news.

What continues to get to me, though, is that old Mister Rogers adage: "Look for the helpers; there will always be people helping." Some of the news footage and reportage shows exactly that - anonymous members of the public escorting the walking wounded, sitting with the badly hurt comforting them, offering space in their homes to those who can't get home.

The city of Manchester is a resilient place - I well remember the aftermath of the 1996 bombing, although of course terrorists of 20 years ago were civilized enough to phone a warning and there were no fatalities on that occasion. The people will stand firm - to do otherwise is to acknowledge that the terrorists are winning, and that will never do.

DeanN

I'm not sure if this is true. ISIS have an aim, a barbaric and quite unrealisable one perhaps, but an aim nonetheless.

In essence, they are seeking to drive a wedge between Islam and the West and convince Muslims that they are hated, in order to swell their ranks with more recruits, suicide bombers, etc. The effect of these suicide bombings is to create anti-Muslim repercussions (be it through attacks in the street, attacks at mosques, political pushbacks). This then convinces a small number of the more susceptible Muslims in the west, most of them young and male, that they will never be accepted, and some of them either go to join ISIS or else commit attacks on their homeland.

Beyond that ISIS have a bonkers grand vision of some great showdown between Islam and the West (or the 'armies of Rome' as ISIS propaganda has it) at the town of Dabiq in Syria. They need more people for this battle, hence more attacks which results in more potential recruits.

scilly

I heard on our news that the suicide bomber has been named, born in Manchester to Libyan parents who had fled Libya to escape Gaddafi.

plasticcanuck

Yesterday's activity is one of the unanswerables of our modern world. The murdering scum who did this obviously has a hatred for all non-Muslim peoples. We, as a society must find ways to confirm to such people that this is not the way to achieve their goals and that Islamization of the western will never happen. That cruelty is unacceptable in our world today. We will never erase such thoughts like they have by guns and bombs. The pen is always mightier than the sword. It's going to be a long, arduous process.

DeanN

Muslims are by some way the biggest victims of ISIS' brutality.

BristolUK

According to the guardian "Although Islamic State has claimed responsibility, the police have found no evidence to support this" but this is utterly meaningless for an incident such as this.

If it were a series of coordinated attacks or involved multiple people it would be different.

But it's been well reported what was said by ISIS spokesman Abu Mohammad al-Adnani.
From wiki (and numerous other sources)
When individuals do just that, by all means look for evidence as it may identify others, but to report "no evidence to support claim for responsibility" is like denying the connection.

Shard

UK terror threat level has been raised to critical.

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What the threat levels mean
Threat levels are designed to give a broad indication of the likelihood of a terrorist attack.

LOW means an attack is unlikely.
MODERATE means an attack is possible, but not likely
SUBSTANTIAL means an attack is a strong possibility
SEVERE means an attack is highly likely
CRITICAL means an attack is expected imminently.

plasticcanuck

Yes, but I'm sure they're seen as collateral damage.

magnumpi

Three more arrests

3 more arrested in Manchester bombing - World - CBC News

Shakyuk

This is getting far to close to home now, arrest actually in Wigan now (where I live). We've had armed officers in town since the Manchester attacks. A suspect package outside my girlfriend's cousins hair salon where she and her customers were confined all day as they arrested the guy and dealt with the package. A bomb disposal robot deployed last night.
What was quite funny and a good show of British humour was how my friend who lives on the street where the bomb disposal robot was deployed posted a picture on Facebook saying ISIS has hit him hard; he's been unable to put his bins out so he's got nowhere to put the rubbish for another 2 weeks now.