Anger and Shock After Intruders Vomit and Urinate at Site of Manchester Arena Bombing Memorial

On 22 May 2017, 22 people died and more than a thousand were injured when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device as people were leaving an arena after a concert by US singer Ariana Grande. This year, authorities announced plans to erect a memorial for the victims, which is meant to be unveiled next month.

Families of victims of the Manchester Arena bombing have been left angered and shocked after learning that hooligans trespassed on a memorial site and spewed vomit and urine over the area, local media reported.

Caroline Curry, from South Shields, whose 19-year-old son Liam was killed in the terrorist attack, said she was "disgusted" by the news. She discovered that hundreds of people were walking through the area, which is supposed to be closed to the public until the official opening.

Curry said one man was standing right on the centerpiece of the memorial called “stone halo” and was abusive when she told him to walk away. A woman vomited over the area, Curry added, and groups of youths were openly smoking drugs.

Claire Brewster, from Sheffield, who lost her sister Kelly, 32, in the bombing and was herself injured in it, said she was "devastated" when she arrived at the area and saw people moving security fences to walk through the memorial. Both women spent hours at the site, trying to guard it, and no security officers were present near the memorial.

Manchester City Council said it had sent a security officer to the site “to assess what’s happening”. Councillor Pat Karney said there was "no excuse for the kind of behaviour in and around the memorial site witnessed by the bereaved relations".

“We utterly condemn this mindless and disrespectful behaviour and will not hesitate to take action against those involved,” Karney said.

The area is covered by CCTV and if the investigation shows that people trespassed on the area deliberately, rather than unwittingly because the fencing was inadequate or unclear, the authorities will pass footage to the police, the councillor said.

The attack, which took place on 22 May 2017, caused 22 people to die and more than 1,000 to sustain injuries. The suicide bomber detonated an explosive device as thousands of people were leaving a concert by US singer Ariana Grande at Manchester Arena. Several hundred people suffered psychological trauma.

The incident was the deadliest terrorist attack in the United Kingdom since the 2005 London bombings.

The perpetrator, 22-year-old Ramadan Abedi, was a British Muslim of Libyan ancestry. He was helped by his brother Hashem, who coordinated the attack. Last August, Hashem was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 55 years.

This year, authorities announced plans to create a memorial for the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing. Authorities said The Glade of Light memorial, which is alongside Manchester Cathedral, would be a "tranquil garden space for remembrance and reflection" for the families and friends of those individuals who tragically died during the attack.

The memorial’s centerpiece is the so-called "stone halo", which is made of marble and bears the names of the victims - as well as memory capsules, containing items provided by each victim's loved ones. The memorial is scheduled to be opened next month.

At the heart of the Glade of Light memorial is a white marble ring ‘halo’ which will bear the lives of those who lost their lives, set in bronze.

2/4 pic.twitter.com/bQPu00xTlZ

— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) September 28, 2020