Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Islamic State supporters celebrate Manchester attack online

Islamic State supporters celebrate Manchester attack online 
Islamic State supporters celebrated on social media on Tuesday after a blast at a concert venue in the north of England killed at least 19 people, although the militant Islamist group has not formally claimed responsibility. British police have said they are treating the blast at the Manchester Arena at the end of a concert by U.S. singer Ariana Grande as a “terrorist incident”. More than 50 people were wounded.

Twitter accounts affiliated to Islamic State have used hashtags referring to the blast to post celebratory messages, with some users encouraging similar attacks elsewhere. Some messages described the attack as an act of revenge in response to air strikes in Iraq and Syria. READ MORE

ON EDGE: 3,500 Potential Terrorists & 400 ISIS fighters Back from Syria in UK

The number of potential terrorists being watched in the UK at the time of the Manchester bombing has swelled to nearly 3,500 – but our security services are using powers to monitor them LESS than they did a year ago, Express.co.uk can reveal.  Latest figures show the 3,000 potential terrorists monitored since 2015 has grown after the return of UK-born people who left to fight with ISIS.
About 400 ISIS-trained fighters are believed to have returned from war zones in Syria and Iraq.  Despite being on red alert for more attacks on home soil like last night’s Manchester bombing, new statistics show the number of arrests, stop and searches, and examinations of suspected terrorists at ports and airports dropped in 2016 on the levels seen in 2015. FULL REPORT

DEVELOPING: 20+ Dead At Grande Gig Explosion in England

At least 20 people were killed and possibly “hundreds” of others were injured after one or more loud bangs were heard Monday night at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in England, multiple law enforcement told NBC News. Law enforcement sources in both Britain and the United States told NBC News there were possibly two explosions. There
was no immediate information on what kind of explosions occurred, and the sources stressed that the information was preliminary and subject to change.  Greater Manchester Police said only that there were “a number of confirmed fatalities and injuries” as hundreds of fans fled the arena. Emergency crews rushed to the scene after the possible blasts, which were first reported about 10:40 p.m. (5:40 p.m. ET).  New York City counterterrorism police said they were monitoring developments. READ MORE