Attacks in England

A suicide bomber detonated a bomb in the foyer of the Manchester Arena in Manchester, England, after a pop concert on May 22, killing at least 22 people and injuring 116 others, many of whom were children. Police identified the bomber as an ethnically Libyan British-born man. The Islamist militant group Daesh (ISIL) claimed the bomber as one of their “soldiers.” 

As of press time, more than 16 people, including the bomber’s younger brother living in Libya, had been arrested in connection with the incident. The bomber, his father and his brothers all fought in Libya against Muammar Gadaffi during the Libyan civil war. It is believed that they later allied themselves with Daesh.

After the incident, the UK raised its terror alert to the highest level, meaning that officials believed that another attack was imminent. Following arrests on May 27, it was dropped to the second-highest level.

On June 3, a group of three men drove a van into pedestrians on the London Bridge and then proceeded to attack patrons at nearby restaurants with knives, killing at least seven people and injuring more than 40. All three attackers were killed by police within eight minutes. Daesh claimed responsibility for the attack, but British authorities had not confirmed that as of press time.