Manchester is a cultural and sporting destination shaken by terror
LONDON — Manchester, a cultural and sporting powerhouse, is no stranger to terror plots but Monday night’s suicide bombing is the most devastating attack the city has ever encountered, according to British Prime Minister Theresa May.
“Although it is not the first time Manchester has suffered in this way, it is the worst attack the city has experienced, and the worst ever to hit the north of England,” May said in a speech before heading to the city Tuesday.
At least 22 people were killed and dozens injured when an attacker set off a bomb at the Manchester Arena at the end of a concert by American pop superstar Ariana Grande. Many of the victims were children, as young as 8 years old.
In June 1996, the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) detonated a truck bomb in central Manchester's main shopping area, destroying the famous Arndale shopping center and injuring 200 people. There were no fatalities.
In 2015, the Federal District Court in Brooklyn found Abid Naseer, an al-Qaeda operative, guilty of plotting to bomb the Arndale shopping center in a bid to copy the IRA attack. He was also linked to a foiled 2009 bomb plot against the New York subway system. British counter-terrorism police arrested Naseer, a Pakistani national, in Manchester in 2009 but released him due to a lack of evidence. He was extradited to the United States in 2013 after being indicted three years earlier under a law that allows U.S. authorities to pursue terrorism cases that occur outside the country.
Retired Detective Chief Inspector Allan Donoghue told the BBC the decision not to prosecute Naseer in the U.K. could have endangered the public. "He was a threat. He was a risk. He had the potential to kill people," Donoghue said.
Manchester, a former industrial giant located about 200 miles northwest of London, is one of the U.K’s largest cities, with a population of about 530,000. The county of Greater Manchester, which encompasses numerous villages and towns in the area including Wigan, Bolton and Bury, has a population of about 2.8 million.
Manchester is a popular cultural and sporting destination, with a wealth of museums, art galleries and music venues, as well as numerous restaurants and bars. It is also home to two top soccer teams — Manchester United and Manchester City — whose games attract thousands of sports fans.
Manchester, like many big cities in Britain, is diverse. At the last census in 2011, 59% of the population in Manchester identified as ethnically white British followed by 8.5% ethnically Pakistani, while African, at 5.1%, was the third-largest ethnic group. In the whole of England, 79.8% said they were white British.
“New measures in the 2011 Census show that Manchester is not becoming less British, despite its increased ethnic diversity,” said the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity, in a report.
The perpetrator of Monday's attack died at the scene. The Islamic State claimed responsibility but Dan Coats, the U.S. director of national intelligence, told a Senate panel Tuesday that ISIS’ involvement had not been confirmed. British police named the bomber as Salman Abedi, 22, who lived in Manchester.
Many social media users defended Manchester’s Muslim community Tuesday after some people blamed Muslims for the attack.
There were 79,496 Muslims in Manchester at the time of the last census in 2011, 15.8% of the city’s population, a 121.9% increase from the figure in 2001. There were 2.8 million Muslims in England and Wales in 2011, 4.8% of the overall population.
Laura Rachel Hurst tweeted: “It was a Muslim taxi driver that got me out of that hellish situation and to safety. People need to watch their words.”
Joshua Woods tweeted: “'Muslims are to blame'- When in reality Muslim taxi drivers are offering free lifts, and a Muslim doctor working into the night saving lives.”
READ MORE:
Manchester bombing: Details about suicide bomber Salman Abedi emerge
Terror bombing at Ariana Grande concert in Manchester: What we know