Manchester concert goer: there was ‘almost no security check’

Attack timed specifically to impact people leaving concert

Armed officers near the Manchester Arena after last night’s suicide attack. Photograph: Nigel Roddis/EPA

The terror attack on a concert in Manchester on Monday night was sophisticated and well planned, a terror expert has said.

At least 22 people were killed when a suicide bomber attacked fans leaving the Ariana Grande concert in the Manchester Arena. A further 60 people were hurt.

Former head of the UK's national counter terrorism office, Chris Philips, told BBC Radio 4 that the immediate concern for police will be to identify the person who carried out the suicide attack and any possible accomplices.

Screen grab taken from a video taken at the Ariana Grande concert and released on Twitter @HANNAWWH

“This person was more organised, the suicide vest, the explosives - whether made or bought,” he told BBC Radio 4.

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“The level of sophistication is a cause of concern. This was an obviously planned attack”, he added.

“This was timed specifically to impact people leaving the concert.

“Terrorists don’t care who they kill - it’s the number of body bags and coverage that they deem a success.

“My worry is that he was not acting alone. If others were involved we may see the threat level raised, they will be actively chasing other suspects.”

Mr Phillips said he had serious reservations about how the police are resourced and he urged the government to rethink its policies.

“Thousands of people are on the police’s radar, they need an awful lot of people to keep just one person under surveillance.

“The police are doing an increasingly difficult job with fewer resources.

“Once a person has built a bomb then it’s too late. All you can do then is minimise casualties.”

He added that there were people “out there” ’ who knew what was going to happen and should have come forward. ‘The whole point of terrorism is to turn communities against each other. The most important thing is to come together. To encourage people willing to come forward.”