Queen Elizabeth Visits Terrorist Bomb Victims In Hospital
Concert goers that were injured at the heinous attack at the Ariana Grande concert on Monday got a surprise visitor on Thursday, May 25, 2017, as none other than Queen Elizabeth popped in to wish them well. The queen arrived at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital just after 11:00 a.m. local time (7:00 a.m. EST), shortly after Britain observed a minute of silence.
One of the victims that Queen Elizabeth visited was Evie Mills. Evie is just 14 and had gotten her concert tickets as a birthday present. Young Evie suffered injuries to her chest and legs when the bomb exploded. Queen Elizabeth was gracious and assured Evie and her parents that all of Britain was united following the attack. Queen Elizabeth told Evie just what she thought of the attack as the young girl lay with her teddy bear by her side.
“It’s dreadful, very wicked, to target that sort of thing.”
Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is currently taking care of 14 young victims, including five kids in critical care. It’s the first time that a terror attack in England has seemed to specifically target the young.
The queen also visited 15-year-old Millie Robson from County Durham who was in high spirits. The young lady had been critically injured in the explosion and first responders used handbags to tourniquet her legs. Mille won VIP tickets to meet Ariana Grande, whom she still considers her idol. As the young brunette lay in bed with her mother by her side, the queen agreed that Ariana was a “very, very good singer.”
When asked her thoughts after the visit, the queen simply said that the most awful thing about it all was that everyone was so very young.
Remembering the Victims
The majority of the people killed at the terrorist attack were under 20, fans of the popular singer. The youngest victim, Saffie-Rose Roussos, was only 8. She was attending the concert with her mother, Lisa, and her older sister, Ashlee, both of whom were injured in the attack. She is remembered by friends and family as quiet and unassuming, yet creative.
Other victims include a Sheffield mother, Kelly Brewster, who died shielding her young niece from the blast; three adults who were there to pick up children; and an inseparable young couple in love, 17-year-old Chloe Rutherford and 19-year-old Liam Curry. In total, 22 people were killed in the cowardly attack and another 119 injured.
A Country on Alert
The prime minister, Theresa May, raised the threat level in the United Kingdom to its highest level in anticipation of another incident. Nearly 1,000 anti-terrorist troops were dispatched to key locations to thwart any other cowardly attacks as part of Operation Temperer. Some of these locations were foreign embassies, Buckingham Palace, the minister’s residence at Downing Street, and Westminster.
The Changing the Guard ceremony has also been suspended indefinitely
The suicide bomber’s younger brother, allegedly an Islamic State member, was arrested in Libya on Tuesday, May 23, 2017, according to the Mirror. The following day, Manchester police confirmed that a suspect in Wigan who was carrying a package has been intercepted. Another three suspects were detained in south Manchester as well.
The suicide bomber has links to the Islamic State terror group and is believed to have flown to Syria in the past.
British intelligence officials have ceased sharing information with their United States counterparts after sensitive material was openly leaked and shared. Photos from the scene are being decried by senior Whitehall officials, calling the entire thing completely unacceptable. Theresa May is expected to raise the issue with President Donald Trump when they meet on Thursday, May 25, 2017, during a NATO conference as Trump enters the last leg of his first trip outside of the United States.
[Featured Image by KGC-375/STAR MAX/IPx/AP Images]
