It should come as no surprise, given the nature of the attack at the Manchester Arena last night, that ISIS is claiming responsibility as Jodi pointed out here. Prime Minister Theresa May gave a statement earlier today:

ISIS issued their statement claiming responsibility, and the media reported it as follows:

In a generic statement posted online, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) claimed responsibility for Abedi’s suicide bomb attack, which left 22 people dead, including children, at one of the entrances to the Manchester Arena.

“Generic?” ISIS has been calling for attacks on soft targets such as concerts, schools, sporting events, and other venues where large groups of people gather for well over a year now. Paris, Nice, San Bernardino, Orlando, London, and now Manchester.

How generic is it really when we now know the identity of the terrorist?

CBS News sources have confirmed that the attacker was identified as 23-year-old Salman Abedi, who was known to British authorities. [Emphasis Added]

How many times in recent years with all the attacks have we come to find out that the authorities knew about the terrorist, knew about the evil twisted ideology they were following, knew they were a danger to everyone around them, and still nothing was done?

It’s understandable in some respects. There are only so many law enforcement compared to the population, and to task someone to follow every one of them is impossible. When Robin Simcox, a known terror expert, provided this statement last night, the identity of the terrorist was unknown.

“While the perpetrator of this attack is not yet clear, the U.K. has been targeted by Islamist terrorists time and again,” Simcox told The Daily Signal. “Manchester itself was targeted by Islamist terrorists on multiple occasions in the past, including by al-Qaeda.”

“Even though the U.K. has world class security services,” Simcox added, “this is a numbers game—and the amount of terror suspects in the U.K. is so high that it is impossible for authorities to be able to keep track of everyone that is of concern.”

He is correct. But somehow, someway, we need to do better. Especially since this Salman Abedi terrorist likely wasn’t acting alone. In Chorlton, about 5 miles from the Arena, authorities surrounded a 23 year old man carrying a rucksack and ordered him down to the ground.  

The media and political response to this horrifically evil attack is mind-boggling and dangerously stupid, particularly in light of the number of terror attacks across Europe since 2004.

Unbelievable — BBC Host: "Europe is getting used to attacks like this…We have to." pic.twitter.com/i9P4NaVlrL

— Jason (@CounterMoonbat) May 23, 2017

Ummm, no. We should NOT be getting used to this at all! They murdered CHILDREN! On purpose!

We beat the terrorists by respecting the religious beliefs, dress codes & practises of fellow humans. No GOD wants #ManchesterArena bombing

— Senator G Craughwell (@GCraughwell) May 23, 2017

Well sir, that hasn’t worked out very well for ANYONE, especially the children who were injured or killed last night. Any better ideas? Oh wait, the AP has an idea. Check out their headline.

BREAKING: Manchester police say man set off improvised explosive device at Ariana Grande concert, then died in the attack.

— The Associated Press (@AP) May 23, 2017

Talk about your weak sauce generic statements, the AP did a stellar job twisting itself into a pretzel to avoid the use of the words terrorist, suicide bomber, or ISIS. Heckuva job AP. Heckuva job.

British authorities are working around the clock to piece together Abedi’s background, his contacts, movements, and affiliations. They are also working to determine if he was part of a small or large cell of terrorists, although there is a school of thought that ISIS doesn’t do suicide bombings. That’s a dangerous line of thinking as ISIS has made it clear that they are advocating for individualized attacks on innocent people across the globe.

Victory Girls will keep our readers updated as more information becomes available.

Please keep the victims, their families, the missing and the wounded in your thoughts and prayers.