8 Years On: Manchester Arena Bombing Horror
On May 22, 2017, tragedy struck Manchester Arena when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the end of an Ariana Grande concert. The attack killed 22 people, many of them children and teens, and left over 800 others injured.
Victims and Villain
- The youngest victim was just 8-year-old Saffie-Rose Roussos, a heart-wrenching loss that shook the nation.
- The bomber, Salman Abedi, was a British-born man of Libyan descent who acted alone but had links to extremist groups.
- This was one of the UK’s worst terror attacks since the 7/7 bombings in London.
Inquiry Uncovers Failings
A public inquiry wrapped up in 2023, revealing major security and intelligence blunders that possibly allowed the attack to happen. The findings sent shockwaves through UK security services.
12 Years Since Lee Rigby’s Savage Murder
Exactly nine years earlier, on May 22, 2013, Fusilier Lee Rigby, 25, was brutally murdered outside Woolwich Barracks by two Islamic extremists, Michael Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale.
Broad Daylight Terror
- The killers ran him down with a car before hacking him with knives and a cleaver on London streets in broad daylight.
- They claimed their attack was revenge for UK military involvement in Muslim countries.
National Shock and Lasting Tribute
Lee’s murder stunned the nation and became a dark symbol of homegrown extremism. Each year, tributes pour in at his memorial in Woolwich. The 1 Foundation continues to support bereaved military families in his honour.
We Will Never Forget
Today, we remember the 22 innocent victims of the Manchester Arena bombing and Fusilier Lee Rigby—lives cut short by ruthless acts of violence. Their memory lives on in a united Britain standing strong against hatred.
