“According to a former security official in the Libyan government, Abu Ismael Abedi was a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG).”
Abu Ismael Abedi, the father of suicide bomber behind the attack at an Ariana Grande concert, has told reporters that his son is innocent. Speaking with the Associated Press from Tripoli, Abedi said “We don’t believe in killing innocents. This is not us.” He also confirmed earlier speculation that one of his other sons, Ismael, was the person detained the morning after the bombing. He also said that he spoke to Salman five days ago as he was preparing to visit Saudi Arabia and that he sounded “normal.” The future terrorist had visited his family in Libya approximately a month and a half ago.
The elder Abedi and his wife fled Libya in 1993 after the dictatorship of Muammar Gaddafi issued an arrest warrant for him. According to Abdel-Basit Haroun, a former security official in the Libyan government, Abu Ismael Abedi was a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG); this is the reason behind the arrest warrant. The organization was backed by al-Qaeda. Haroun also stated that Abu Ismael was a member of the Salafi Jihadi movement, a sect of Salafism that is a shared link between ISIS and al-Qaeda. These allegations contradict what members of the local mosque had to say about Salman’s father, that he vocally opposed jihadism.
Explosion at Ariana Grande Concert Possibly Targeted Children
By Angelina Newsom; OpsLens:
As news reports circulate amid the shocking explosion outside of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, UK, social media posts are pointing to the terrifying prospect that the attack was specifically targeting children. The death toll of the shocking attack is currently at 22. Authorities have said the incident is being treated as a terrorist attack, and a body has been recovered with a tentative identification made.
Many supporters of the Islamic State have taken to social media to celebrate the deadly explosion. One user posted to Twitter, “It seems the bombs of the British airforce over children of Mosul and Raqqa has just came back to Manchester,” referring to Britain’s membership among coalition forces who have conducted air strikes. A video has been circulating showing an individual with his face completely covered, pledging loyalty to ISIS while praising the Manchester attack. Supporters have also encouraged one another to carry out lone wolf attacks in the West.
In the wake of the attack, Ariana Grande took to Twitter to express her devastation and has reportedly suspended the rest of her world tour. Anyone familiar with her music is aware that her following is mostly adolescents and very young adults. It has also been confirmed by authorities that children were among the casualties, though not much else has been made clear so early into the investigation.
The first victim has been identified as a 16-year-old girl, a child with so much life ahead of her. This could happen anywhere, even the United States. While we should not retreat into our safe space and let these cowards win, we should not become complacent.
It’s incredibly disturbing to think that an individual carried out the attack with a mind to harm children. This target had to have been chosen carefully and carried out with precision. The suspect — among the deceased — waited outside of the venue for concertgoers. This shows the chilling reality that lives in the minds of the willing participants of this barbarism. A complete lack of compassion and caring for loss of life on an enormous scale.
It’s hard to believe that the monster responsible for the incident was unaware children would be present. Whether it was an objective or not, killing children has been praised online, in a show of absolute evil. Many of the fans in attendance were also girls, as that is the fan base for Ms. Grande’s music.
The extreme hatred towards not only children, but young girls, demonstrated by this coward should shock everyone and remind us to stay vigilant. Even in safe places like the UK, these disgusting acts of violence are occurring at an alarming rate. Now they’re going after children and showing the world just how grotesque they are. This one hits very close to home.
