Ariana Grande’s Mom on Manchester Attack: ‘I Stand With You All’
Ariana Grande‘s mother, Joan Grande, shared a statement Monday honoring the victims of the terrorist attack outside her daughter’s show in Manchester May 22nd. “I stand with you all in the face of evil and we stand together to never let it rule our lives!” Grande wrote in a note posted to Twitter.
According to ABC News, Joan was heading backstage to see her daughter at the Manchester Arena when a suicide bomber detonated a homemade device. She reportedly helped multiple fans reach safety in the chaos that followed.
“This past week I have spent in reflective thought, prayer and deep sorrow,” Grande wrote. “I join my daughter in extending my help and services to all those affected by the diabolical act of terror which occurred in Manchester! My heart goes out to all the victims: Those who lost their lives, those injured, those recovering and all survivors of that night, along with the families and friends whose grief knows no bounds.”
She closed with a note tied to Monday’s Memorial Day celebrations: “Thank you to all those who helped in any way that night in Manchester. I continually thank those who are and were in service protecting our freedoms every day all over the world!”
The Manchester attack left 22 dead and at least 60 injured. The bomber was identified as Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old British Man of Libyan descent. Police are still investigating Abedi’s network and have arrested 14 people in connection with the bombing over the past week.
The tragedy elicited an outpouring of support from numerous musicians and entertainers, with Ariana Grande herself releasing her first public statement Friday since a tweet immediately after the attack. Addressing her fans, Grande wrote, “The compassion, kindness, love, strength and oneness that you’ve shown one another this past week is the exact opposite of the heinous intentions it must take to pull off something as evil as what happened Monday.”
Grande canceled several dates on her Dangerous Woman tour after the attack, but plans to return to the stage June 7th in Paris.