Explosion in Manchester

[Scooter]

What we can learn from the tragic events in Manchester

As Britain braced for the Second World War in 1939, the government produced a motivational poster: “Keep Calm and Carry On.”

The advice could not be more apt today in the midst of a very different type of war.

Hard of course to do when there is sadness, rage and a desire to make sense of an attack on teenagers and children attending an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester on Monday night. And when there’s fear of more to come.

Yet the reality is these attacks have happened before, and will again, whether directed by Daesh, or simply “lone wolves,” motivated as much by their own demons or circumstances than any propaganda from the so-called Islamic State.

To state the obvious: Terrorist attacks are meant to terrorize and sow division. No bans, new laws or increased spending for security will ever completely halt attacks when cars or kitchen knives can be murder weapons and attackers are willing to die during their assaults.

Here is a run down of what we know so far and what can be learned from this tragedy:

• Daesh, also known as ISIS and ISIL, claimed responsibility for the attack on its official “channels” on Telegram, an encrypted social media app. This does not necessarily mean that anyone within the group had communication or directed the attack. The claim also had incorrect or conflicting information about where the bombing took place and how many attackers were involved. As Charlie Winter, a senior researcher at the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation, cautioned on Twitter Tuesday, “#IS (Islamic State) wants us to share its claim, wants us to disseminate its images, wants us to amplify the impact of its actions.”
• After the identity of the alleged bomber leaked in the U.S. media, Manchester police confirmed Tuesday afternoon that Salman Abedi, 22, was suspected of being responsible for the suicide bombing and that they would not comment further while awaiting a coroner’s report. The Guardian reported that he was born in Britain to parents that had moved to the U.K. from Libya and was known to both police and security services.
• The bombing reportedly occurred in a foyer, as fans began to leave, not inside the Manchester Arena as some originally reported. This is significant in terms of security, which is now under review. The New York Times interviewed a 23-year-old who attended the concert and said security was lacking, as authorities were “more concerned about finding alcohol than anything else.” Most concerts and sporting events have metal detectors and physical searches, but it is impossible to protect all crowded areas. For instance, airports have implemented dozens of costly security measures since 9/11, and yet last year in both Brussels and Istanbul, attackers managed to carry out devastating assaults.
• Early reports of the improvised explosive device used in the attack suggest a level of sophistication (or certainly beyond that of using a truck). But as many security officials noted, the existence of such a bomb alone does not necessarily mean the attacker had training.
• Why target children and teenagers? This was the understandable angst expressed on social media Tuesday. But it is not the first time terrorists have sought young victims. During the 2004 Beslan school hostage crisis in North Ossetia, Russia, Chechen militants killed 330, half of whom where children. Seven years later in Norway, Anders Behring Breivik systematically gunned down young campers at a political retreat. Groups like Daesh will counter that thousands of children have been killed in U.S. drone strikes or barrel bombs dropped by the Assad regime in Syria to try to justify their actions. Breivik’s chose his target in the hopes of wiping out the next generation of Liberal politicians.
• World leaders took to social media and press conferences Tuesday to express their country’s condolences for the victims, their families and Britain. On Monday, Prime Minster Justin Trudeau wrote on Twitter, “Canadians are shocked by the news of the horrific attack in Manchester tonight.” But many went further to express solidarity with Britain — and while it is understandable to support an allied government — the us-versus-them narrative can benefit Daesh and Al Qaeda propagandists and elevate the importance of a terrorist attack.
• Late Tuesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May raised the threat level in Britain to “critical,” the highest level, for the first time in nearly a decade. The critical level indicates another attack may be imminent. An increased threat level, without specifics, does not allow individuals to better protect themselves. But it does mean there will be a visible increase in security, including armed military personnel guarding high-profile sites. “I do not want the public to feel unduly alarmed,” May said, but added that the response is “proportionate and sensible.”

Of the many heart-wrenching videos that went viral Tuesday is one short one posted on Twitter by Ellie Cheetham. There’s a bang and then a teenage voice repeatedly asking, “What’s going on?”

Trying to understand what happened, to move on, however painfully impossible that will be for so many in Britain and beyond, is the only way to make sure a terrorist’s actions don’t spread beyond the carnage at a concert. Some actions simply will never be stopped but reactions can be controlled.

As the Guardian highlighted in its editorial about Manchester: “It is a testament to the city that an attempt to divide a people only brought them closer together: doors were opened to strangers and meals offered to worried parents. Hotels and cabs provided services for free.”

That’s what matters. The rest is just noise.

[RayThom]

In the wake of the attack Manchester's new mantra is: DIVIDED We Stand!

None of my family members were caught up in the mayhem. However, as my cousin mentioned, one doesn't have to dig too deep to find someone who has been affected by the tragedy.

[Lord Jim]

the existence of such a bomb alone does not necessarily mean the attacker had training.

That's certainly correct...

It doesn't really take any training at all to meld into a crowd and push a button...(In the Mid East, the scumbag sociopaths who coordinate this kind of thing have used children as young as 11 or 12 to do it)

It does however, require a fair bit of indoctrination to get somebody to be willing to do it, and it also requires the existence of a person with the skills and knowledge to create a device with the level of explosive power and shrapnel spray radius (that would also remain stable until the desired detonation time) to provide the bomb to the attacker.

(No simple run-of-the-mill pipe bomb would pack the power to create the level of carnage that took place in this attack)

More information is starting to come in:

MANCHESTER bomber Salman Abedi "probably travelled to Syria" and had proven links to Islamic State (ISIS), the French interior minister has said.

The barbaric terrorist blew himself, killing 22 and injuring more than 60 others, when he detonated an improvised explosive laced with nuts, bolts and screws.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the Manchester bombing at the Arena saying an explosive device was planted at the Ariana Grande concert.

It has now emerged that the univeristy drop out is believed to have travelled to and Libya, also an ISIS hotbed, as recently as this week.

Asked to confirm whether Abedi had recently come back from Libya, Ms Rudd told BBC Television: "Yes, I believe that has been confirmed.

"When this operation is over, we will want to look at his background and what happened, how he became radicalised and what support he might have been given."

British investigators also told French authorities that the suspect in the Manchester bombing had probably travelled to Syria.

French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said: "Today we only know what British investigators have told us - someone of British nationality, of Libyan origin, who suddenly after a trip to Libya, then probably to Syria, becomes radicalised and decides to carry out this attack."

A friend told The Times: "He went to Libya three weeks ago and came back recently, like days ago."

Prime Minister Theresa May said the suicide bomber may not have acted alone and the Manchester terror attack could have involved a “wider group of individuals”.

He is thought to have been in contact with Raphael Hostey, also from Manchester, who has recruited dozens of jihadi fighters before he was killed in a drone strike last year.

Abedi, 22, was born in Manchester and grew up on a council estate in a Libyan community that was known for its strong opposition to Colonel Mummer Gaddafi’s regime.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/808539 ... ana-grande

[rubato]

At the moment the Telegraph is reporting that the perpetrator is a Libyan 22 year old, born in the UK and whose parents escaped Gaddhafi's Libya.

Not trying to defend Gaddhafi, but when I lived in Libya in the late seventies (Gaddhafi had been in power for 10 years by then) the Libyan people I knew were the most generous I have ever known anywhere; I knew Libyan women as friends; the burkha/hijab was unknown; and I could walk around Benghazi at night with less trepidation than I might have in London.

Madmen come in all shapes and sizes and countries of origin.

And religions.

Yeah, I'm sick of those Shinto suicide bombers. Not to mention the Hindu, the Catholics, the atheists, the Jains; the Buddhists, and the Baptists and the Jews.

Oh... hold on a second....

You don't know anything about history, at all, do you? The shinto Japanese occupying forces practiced torture, systematic slaughter and even cannibalism. They were 'pacified' by force. Catholics have practiced genocide every time they had the chance and even tried to eradicate the entire written works of the Mayan people. Nearly every crusade began with the slaughter of Jews in a European city. I don't know of anything the Jains have ever done wrong. (making them morally superior to all Christians) Buddhists have a nearly clean slate except for the recent persecution of the Rohingya (sp?) The Jews have behaved towards the Arabs in Israel rather like they were treated in Europe. Baptists were in the front lines of the KKK the White Citizens Councils &c.

yrs,
rubato

[ex-khobar Andy]

Aum Shinrikyo (Tokyo subway attacks) originated in Buddhism. Yes: suicide bombing seems to be mainly an Islamofascist weapon of choice; but terrorism in the name of a religion is deadly whether it is looking for a caliphate (OBL and the rest); a homeland (Stern Gang e.g., Menachem Begin); trying to start WW3 (Aum Shinrikyo); or hatred of a skin color (e.g., Southern Protestants and the KKK).

I think the Jains are probably free from a terrorism taint. But if you are wealthy enough to pay someone to walk in front of you to clear the street of ants so you don't step on them, the practicality of Jainism may be limited.

[Gob]

Theresa May will confront Donald Trump over the stream of leaks of crucial intelligence about the Manchester bomb attack when she meets the US president at a Nato summit in Brussels on Thursday.

British officials were infuriated on Wednesday when the New York Times published forensic photographs of sophisticated bomb parts that UK authorities fear could complicate the expanding investigation into the lethal blast in which six further arrests have been made in the UK and two more in Libya.

It was the latest of a series of leaks to US journalists that appeared to come from inside the US intelligence community, passing on data that had been shared between the two countries as part of a long-standing security cooperation.

A senior Whitehall source said: “These images from inside the American system are clearly distressing to victims, their families and other members of the public. Protests have been lodged at every relevant level between the British authorities and our US counterparts. They are in no doubt about our huge strength of feeling on this issue. It is unacceptable.”

Police chiefs also criticised the leaking of information from the investigation. A National Counter Terrorism Policing spokesperson said: “We greatly value the important relationships we have with our trusted intelligence, law enforcement and security partners around the world.

“When that trust is breached it undermines these relationships, and undermines our investigations and the confidence of victims, witnesses and their families. This damage is even greater when it involves unauthorised disclosure of potential evidence in the middle of a major counter-terrorism investigation.”

[Scooter]

Ariana Grande has reached out to all the families and said she would pay for the funerals.

[Gob]

Wow!! That is so generous, respect to her for that.

(I must admit I'd not heard of her before the atrocity.)

[RayThom]

Ariana Grande has reached out to all the families and said she would pay for the funerals.

This sounded like such a nice gesture that it didn't sit well with me. It would be great if it turns out to be true but I have reservations.

Snopes.com says "UNPROVEN"
http://www.snopes.com/ariana-grande-pay ... -funerals/

[BoSoxGal]

It's being reported on fan Twitter accounts then picked up by press, not a formal statement from Grande - so thus unproven.

Considering the relatively modest cost of 22 (or more) funerals compared to her annual income, I can't imagine she won't, as to refuse now would make her look cold hearted. Anyway, she's clearly not as she has been seen looking devastated and has canceled her tour for the time being.

[Gob]

Rot in hell shitboy.

[Lord Jim]

Britain Says It Has ‘Large Part’ of Manchester Bomber’s Network

MANCHESTER, England — British officials expressed confidence on Friday that they had rounded up the bulk of the Manchester bomber’s associates, and that their efforts to avert a follow-up attack appeared to be succeeding.

“We’ve got hold of a large part of the network behind Manchester bombing,” said Mark Rowley, the top counterterrorism official for the Metropolitan Police in London.

Eight men, ages 18 to 38, were in custody, and searches were still taking place at 12 locations in the Manchester area, the city’s top police official, Chief Constable Ian Hopkins, said at a news conference. “There has been enormous progress with the investigation, but there’s still an awful lot of work to do,” he said.

The latest raids occurred Friday morning at a barbershop in the Moss Side neighborhood and at a pizza restaurant in St. Helens, a town about 20 miles west of Manchester.

Normal rhythms began to resume across Britain, even though the nation was on its highest level of alert — “critical,” meaning another attack could be “expected imminently” — and was to remain so at least through the weekend. Public events, including the Great Manchester Run, a 10-kilometer race and half-marathon in the city that is scheduled for Sunday, will take place as planned. Hundreds of soldiers have been deployed to protect important sites around the country and to give relief to police forces.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/26/worl ... .html?_r=0

[RayThom]

Apologies to (Rod) Argent:

Blow Your Head Up

And if it's there
Don't let it get you down,
You can take it.
And if it hurts
Don't let them see you cry,
You can make it.

Blow your head up, oh
Blow your head up, oh
Blow your head up, oh
Blow your head high.
Blow your head up, oh
Blow your head up, oh
Blow your head up, oh
Blow your head high.

And if they stare
Just let them burn their eyes
On you moving.
And if they shout
Don't let it change a thing
That you're doing.

Blow your head up, oh
Blow your head up, oh
Blow your head up, oh
Blow your head high.
Blow your head up, oh
Blow your head up, oh
Blow your head up, oh
Blow your head high...

[oldr_n_wsr]

I often wonder how quickly the feds (or whatever the uk calls them) round up the "associates" after some act of terrorism. Surely they must have had some kind of files on these people prior to the bombing. Why wait until after a terrorist act to scoop them up? I know, legal issues, civil rights and stuff. There must be a better way.

How many times do you hear that the bomber was on them agencies "radar" but little done?

Many questions, few answers.

[Scooter]

Sure, by all means let's use preventive detention to lock up anyone we think MIGHT commit a crime.

Minority Report, anyone?

[oldr_n_wsr]

You must have missed when I wrote:

I know, legal issues, civil rights and stuff.

That's why I stated:

Many questions, few answers.

And followed up with a

which was meant as "I don't have an answer"

[Scooter]

How about it's flat out unjust, regardless of what any law does or does not allow?

[Big RR]

[Jarlaxle]

Abedi was born in Manchester on New Year's Eve 1994 to a family believed to be of Libyan origin, the BBC understands.
His parents escaped to Britain as refugees from Libya.
It is thought he has at least three siblings - an elder brother who was born in London, and a younger brother and sister who were born in Manchester.
He went to local schools, was a supporter of Manchester United football team and worked in a bakery.
Abedi is thought to have recently travelled abroad.
Salford University confirmed Abedi had been a student there and said it was assisting police with their inquiries.
A trustee of the Manchester Islamic Centre, also known as the Didsbury Mosque, told the Press Association it was likely Abedi had attended there.
Fawaz Haffar said Abedi's father used to perform the call for prayer at the mosque, and one of his brothers had been a volunteer there.
Mr Haffar stressed the mosque was what he called a moderate, modern, liberal mosque, and he is a member of an organisation liaising with police, the Independent Advisory Group.

So Britain takes in his family, and gives him and them all the advantages and comforts that the UK provides, and this is how he pays us back.


Please note; this is about HIM no one else.

Samestory with the Boston Marathon bombers.

[Burning Petard]

The NY Times today has an obit headlined "Alistair Horne, War Historian and Onetime British Spy, Dies at 91."

Mr. Horne wrote one of the better books about the armed conflict between the French Republic and Algeria, called "Savage War of Peace" 1977.

In the preface to the 2006 edition he said: "Though the parallels may be only partially exact, dark comparisons also offer themselves between the two former French colonies both 'liberated' in the 1950's and 1960's: Vietnam, infinitely more devastated than Algeria over twenty years of war, and lacking its natural wealth of oil and gas, but now rapidly emerging as the new Taiwan of Southeast Asia; Algeria wracked by internecine fundamentalism, and economically impoverished. Students of contemporary Islam and its incompetence in the world of material progress might wish to draw their own conclusions."

And so the true believer offers death and anarchy as the desired alternative to degenerate Western materialism.

snailgate