UPDATED - 12:22
22 people, including a number of children, have been killed and 59 others have been injured following a suspected 'terrorist incident' at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester last night.
Greater Manchester Police have confirmed that man suspected of carrying out the attack on the Manchester Arena has been killed, while they're trying to establish if he acted alone or if he was part of a network.
In a statement, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Ian Hopkins said:
"This has been the most horrific incident we have had to face in Greater Manchester and one that we all hoped we would never see.
"Families and many young people were out to enjoy a concert at the Manchester Arena and have lost their lives.
"Our thoughts are with those 22 victims that we now know have died, the 59 people who have been injured and their loved ones. We continue to do all we can to support them. They are being treated at eight hospitals across Greater Manchester.
"This is a fast-moving investigation and we have significant resources deployed to both the investigation and the visible patrols that people will see across Greater Manchester as they wake up to news of the events last night. This will include armed officers as people would expect. More than 400 officers have been involved in this operation during the night.
"To remind you, we were called at 10.33pm to reports of an explosion at the Manchester Arena at the conclusion of an Ariana Grande concert. More than 240 calls came in and emergency services were very quickly on scene. Emergency numbers have been established for anyone who is concerned for loved ones who may not have returned home 0161 856 9400 or 0161 856 9900.
"We have been treating this as a terrorist incident and we believe that while the attack last night was conducted by one man the priority is to establish whether he was acting alone or as part of a network.
"The attacker, I can confirm, died at the arena. We believe the attacker was carrying an improvised explosive device which he detonated causing this atrocity."
Meanwhile, The Queen has since released a statement:
Message from the Queen following the attack in
— Lizzie Robinson (@LizzieITV)
Ariana Grande, who escaped unharmed, has taken to Twitter to express her sadness at the situation, and said she is 'so, so sorry'.
broken.
from the bottom of my heart, i am so so sorry. i don't have words.— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande)
Here, Taoiseach Enda Kenny has issued a statement saying the "vile acts" in Manchester are "a reminder of the depravity of the views held by the few" and he says "those beliefs have no place in our society."
Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan has released a statement following the incident:
"I am shocked and horrified by the large loss of life in Manchester last night and my thoughts and prayers are with those affected, and we stand by our nearest neighbour, the U.K. especially due to the strong links between our country and the city of Manchester.
"The Consular Section of my Department, in conjunction with our Embassy in London is monitoring the situation and we are not at this time aware of any Irish citizens affected.
"Anyone with concerns for family and friends can contact the Consular Division of my Department on 353 1 408 2000."
The Department of Foreign Affairs is asking anyone with any concerns for Irish citizens to get in touch with them:
Anyone with concerns for Irish citizens in Manchester can contact our embassy in London +44 207 235 2171 or 01 408 2000
— IrishForeignMinistry (@dfatirl)
