UPDATE: Islamic State group claims Manchester blast

By: News Staff

Email: news@abc6.com

Twitter: @ABC6

MANCHESTER, England (AP) — The Islamic State group says one of its members planted bombs in the middle of crowds in Manchester, England, where 22 people died in an explosion.

Police, however, have spoken only of “an improvised device” used in the attack.

IS says “a soldier of the caliphate planted bombs in the middle of Crusaders gatherings” then detonated them. It did not say whether the attacker was killed.

The group claimed that “30 Crusaders were killed and 70 others were wounded,” higher than the totals confirmed by authorities in Manchester.

Manchester police say the man who set off an improvised explosive device at an Ariana Grande concert in northern England died in the attack.

Police said Tuesday 22 people died in the attack Monday night. It was not clear if that included the suspected suicide bomber. Dozens more were injured.

Emergency vehicles were on the scene helping the injured and bomb disposal units were later seen outside the venue.

There was mass panic after the explosion at the end of the concert, which was part of Grande’s “The Dangerous Woman Tour.”

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said forensic investigations are continuing as police try to determine if the attacker had accomplices.

He did not provide any information about the individual who detonated the device.

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