Ariana Grande visits Manchester victims
June 3, 2017
Ahead of her One Love benefit concert, pop singer Ariana Grande has paid a surprise hospital visit to her young fans who are recovering from the bomb attack after her concert in Manchester less than two weeks ago.
Grande and a host of celebrities are in the city to perform at a benefit concert on Sunday. Proceeds will go to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund to help the victims' families. Seven children were among the 22 people killed in the attack and more than 50 of the injured remain in hospital.
Musicians including Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Coldplay, Take That and Miley Cyrus will join Grande for the concert.
Grande has 107 million followers on Instagram, and she posted a photo of her visit to the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital on Friday.
"It was such a positive thing for Ariana to do, after everything that happened last Monday," said the father of eight-year-old Lily Harrison. "It was invaluable. She was so sincere. She brought a big Harrods teddy and some flowers for all the kids."
Other images showed Grande hugging children in their beds and posing with nurses.
Peter Mann's daughter Jaden was injured in the attack. He posted photos of Grande and Jaden on Facebook and wrote: "This means more to us than all the amazing things people have done this week. When your daughter asks after her 2nd operation: 'Is Ariana OK?' So happy she came i could burst! Never seen Jaden so happy! Even cried again myself."
Adam Harrison told the BBC his daughter Lily "felt like a rock star" after meeting Grande and was "chomping at the bit" to attend Sunday's benefit concert.
Ongoing investigation
Eleven people remain in police custody following the attack and police took a 24-year-old into custody on Friday night in Manchester's inner city. He was the 17th person detained in connection with the bombing.
On Friday police had cordoned off an area in southern Manchester and a bomb-disposal team was called out as a car was removed. It was deemed significant to the investigation, police said.
In a statement, police said the man was "arrested on suspicion of offences contrary to the terrorism act."
Bomber Salman Abedi's father and brother are also in detention in Libya.
bik/jm (AP, Reuters, AFP, dpa)