Manchester Arena sucide bomber identified as Salman Abedi

The terrorist who detonated a bomb at Manchester Arena killing 22 people, including children, has been identified.

The bomber, who killed himself at the packed venue last night, has been named as Salman Abedi, according to US officials.

Hundreds of fans were leaving an Ariana Grande concert at the 21,000-capacity arena when Abedi allegedly set off the IED.

Nearly two dozen people were killed and a further 119 were injured, with some reportedly losing body parts in the blast.

Many of the gig goers were young female fans of primary school age, with an eight-year-old schoolgirl among those killed.

Today, panicked parents were searching for their missing kids after the bomb went off in the arena’s foyer area.

Pictures of children and teens who were at the concert were being circulated online in a desperate bid to track them down.

Victims were leaving the show yesterday when they were hit by blast, which left nuts and bolts scattered across the floor.

A horrifying picture, captured inside the foyer, shows fans lying on the blood-streaked ground, as emergency crews tend to them.

One man is seen crouched down, placing a cloth against a motionless victim’s head, while surrounded by a trail of blood and debris.

This morning, the first victim of the terror attack was named as teenager and Ariana superfan, Georgina Bethany Callander.

Georgina, who was pictured with her idol two years ago, is believed to be among those killed in the deadly explosion.

She had tweeted the US pop singer on Sunday, the day before the blast, writing: “SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU TOMORROW.”

Actor Sean Maguire took to Twitter today to pay his respects to the “young and sweet” teen, writing: “Just met this girl in April.

“She was killed last night in Manchester. My love to her and all the families of the victims.”

The second victim of the attack was later identified as a “beautiful” eight-year-old schoolgirl called Saffie Rose Roussos.

Saffie, who had gone to the show with her older sister, had not been seen since the incident inside the arena.

Her parents released her picture in a desperate plea for help, but it has since tragically emerged that she has died.

In a later tweet this morning, the force said a 23-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the attack.

“With regards to last night’s incident at the Manchester Arena, we can confirm we have arrested a 23-year-old man in South Manchester,” it said.