On Monday night, a bombing timed to coincide with the end of an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester killed 22 people, many children, and injured dozens more. Today, Grande responded at length to the tragedy in a letter to her fans that she posted on social media.
In the letter, Grande says she will return to Manchester "to spend time with my fans and to have a benefit concert in honor of and to raise money for the victims and their families." No date was given for the concert, which the singer writes is still being finalized.
— Ariana Grande (@ArianaGrande) May 26, 2017
"Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before," the note also says. A follow-up post included a link for fans to donate to a fund in support of victims and their families.
Grande initially posted a brief Twitter message the day after the attack, and suspended all scheduled performances through June 5.
The attack outside Manchester Arena, carried out by a 22-year-old named Salman Abedi, was said to be part of a wider network, with NPR's Frank Langfitt reporting that some he's spoken to think the bomber lacked the know-how to construct the bomb used to carry out his attack. At least seven people have have been arrested during the investigation into the bombing.
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