Politic?

A Deadly Bolt Out of the Blue

"It was carnage. Everyone was scrambling over each other --- It was just a race to get out really."
"We just heard a bang. Everyone stopped and turned around. You could hear adults telling the little ones it was only a balloon."
Charlotte Fairclough, 14, Manchester Arena Ariana Grande concert

Three of the known victims of the attack - from left: Saffie-Rose Roussos, Georgina Callander and John Atkinson The Telegraph

A public celebrity event of families with children in attendance, of teens accompanied by adults and unaccompanied other than with their friends had set out for a long-anticipated social event in a venue capable of holding thousands of attendees, to enjoy an evening of music and colour and light and social company. Uppermost in mind was admiration for the performer and the performance and gratitude that they were the fortunate ones who witnessed the entertainment.

Satisfaction with the evening turned to incredulity when the peace of a successful evening out was shattered by the gruesome reality that someone had set out to instill fear in the wider public by targeting children and families for slaughter, wrenching the event from its celebratory mood to one of stark terror. This scar on the face of normalcy will be permanent, etched in the sorrowing hearts of families who lost a child among the 22 dead victims of Islamist fascism.

The hundred people in attendance at this carefree event of music and social celebration who were wounded face a future far different than the one destiny had intended for them at the outset of the evening. A nation's peace has been shattered, once again with the terrible reality that stark terror can erupt anywhere at any time where and when it is least expected. That despite precautions and a determination to forge on and live normal lives some will be disrupted and others will be terminated.

The perpetrator, born in Britain, a young man of 22 whose view of his religion urging him to destroy the lives of non-Muslims through a sacred act of jihad as a sacrifice to Islam and in the process elevating himself to the status of martyr for whom reward awaited in Paradise, was one of those whose actions had alerted British security. That same British security that apprehends an average of one threat each and every day on the Sceptred Isle.

Where an estimated five thousand Muslims have been identified as potential terrorist-aligned threats to the security and stability of the nation, through violently malign intentions on the way to becoming real, malignant events of murderous design. Not all attacks can and will be preventable. Not even those where the perpetrators are shown to have been on the radar of intelligence officials. Not even those who have returned to Britain as citizens after having fought abroad on behalf of jihad and returned.

Salman Abedi, born in Manchester of Libyan descent, a devout and quiet young man according to descriptions of those who knew him, chose death for himself, and chose to take with him twenty-two innocent people who had no choice in the matter. ISIL has been swift to claim credit for the triumph of tragedy, lauding Abedi as a "soldier of the Khalifah", speaking of the victims as "crusaders" and the concert hall as a "shameless concert arena", the killings "revenge for Allah's religion", responding to "transgressions against the lands of the Muslims".

It would be interesting to know how others who pray at the Didsbury mosque where the Abedi family worshipped interpret this event. Whether they make any connection to the Friday sermons that speak of the unclean Jews and Infidels and the obligation of the faithful to jihad, to what has just occurred at the Manchester arena. British security authorities have now arrested five people suspected of having been involved in this carnage. The terrorist's father and younger brother have also been arrested.

One brother was on the radar of Libyan security intelligence officials on suspicion of planning an attack in Libya. Assuredly the Libyans shared their suspicions with the British. And while Muslims hasten to assure any who will listen and those who will not, that terrorism such as this has 'nothing to do with religion', that the warped minds dedicated to terrorism have insulted Islam by assaulting Western nations, there are those who nod sagely and agree, and others who will not.