Manchester attack one year on: Victims, tributes and update on investigation
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – MAY 23: Ariana Grande concert attendees Karen Moore and her daughter Molly Steed, aged 14, from Derby, leave the Park Inn where they were given refuge after last nights explosion at Manchester Arena on May 23, 2017 in Manchester, England. An explosion occurred at Manchester Arena as concert goers were leaving the venue after Ariana Grande had performed. Greater Manchester Police are treating the explosion as a terrorist attack and have confirmed 22 fatalities and 59 injured. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
A year has passed since 22 people were killed and 800 were injured in the Manchester Arena terror attack.
When Salman Abedi detonated a suicide bomb outside the arena’s grounds during an Ariana Grande concert on May 22, 2017, he changed the landscape of Manchester forever.
In commemoration of the one year anniversary of the attack that rocked the globe, we take a look at the attack and its repercussions to date.
Memorial candles are pictured before a vigil in Manchester on May 29, 2017, placed in tribute to the victims of the May 22 terror attack at the Manchester Arena. (JON SUPER/AFP/Getty)
Who was killed?
Mothers, fathers, loved-up couples, superfans and children were among the 22 people killed in the attack.
The youngest victim, Saffie-Rose Roussos, was just eight years old when she died.
And the LGBT+ community lost a larger-than-life presence in PR manager Martyn Hett.
Martyn Hett with Russell Hayward
Writer and blogger Hett was famed for his iconic Twitter rapport and endless dedication to Coronation Street.
Sporting a tattoo of Deidre Barlow in tribute to the soap, he was no stranger to TV, and had appeared on Come Dine With Me with partner Russell Hayward as well as Tattoo Fixers.
A memorial campaign, Be More Martyn, saw the sale of several T-shirts in his honour.
Martyn’s brother and sister created a support group, Survivors Against Terror, to help other families who have lost loved ones or fallen victim to the attacks.
Martyn Hett
The response
The attack, though devastating, heralded a remarkable rallying cry across Manchester and the world.
Crowds gathered to sing a moving tribute to victims in the form of Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger” just a day after the tragic event.
Takeaways provided free food for victims and their families, while Uber drivers provided free rides.
The Boston Globe newspaper sent local paper Manchester Evening News pizza to help them through the back-to-back shifts covering the attack.
The world-renowned publication understood the difficulty in reporting the event after they experienced covering the Boston Marathon attack in 2013.
The event has also turned Ariana Grande into an activist.
She organised One Love Manchester in June 2017, a free tribute concert held two weeks after the attack in honour of the victims.
Nearly 11 million people watched the star-studded show, which featured Grande, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus and more.
Mancunians also queued for hours to get bee tattoos in commemoration of the victims.
An 80-year-old grandma got her first ever tattoo in honour of the 22.
10,000 people were inked with the worker bee.
The Manchester bee tattoo appeal has raised more than £520,000 for charity.
How it will be marked?
Bells will ring out from St Ann’s Church, St Mary’s Catholic Church and the Manchester Town Hall at exactly 10.31pm on May 22, which is the same time of the attack, reports Manchester Evening News.
A cluster of 28 Japanese maple trees, named the trees of hope, have been planted near the venue.
The trees feature a series of tags for people to pay their respects and tributes to the victims.
After the attack in Manchester (Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty)
Prince William and the Prime Minister will attend a national service of memorial at Manchester Cathedral on the day, too.
The service will be screened at York Minster, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and Glasgow Cathedral at 2.30pm.
Manchester Survivors’ Choir, which is comprised of victims and their family, will perform in the evening.
Grande paid tribute to the victims on Twitter in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
She wrote: “thinking of you all today and every day I love you with all of me and am sending you all of the light and warmth I have to offer on this challenging day.”
Ariana’s tweet about the Manchester anniversary (Twitter)
Have they found the alleged killerS?
Salman Abedi was named as the suicide bomber who carried out the attack and was killed by his own device at the event.
Police believe that Abedi’s brother, Hashem Abedi, was also involved in carrying out the attack.
The force are attempting to extradite Hashem from Libya after he fled to the country after the bombing, alongside father Ramadan Abedi.
However, Hashem has been captured by a Libyan militia named the Special Deterrence Force.
Police are negotiating with the group to bring Hashem to trial.
The investigation has cost the force £4 million to date, but they say they are “hopeful” of a result.
“It is achievable but it will take time,” Middle East analyst Tobias Borck told Manchester Evening News.
“One can do business with these militia – there is a history of co-operation between European governments and these militia.”
