Man charged with Manchester Arena memorial damage

A man has been charged with vandalising the Manchester Arena memorial.

The Glade of Light, a white marble “halo” bearing the names of all 22 people murdered in the May 2017 attack, opened to the public last month.

Anwar Hosseni, 24, of Twillbrook Drive, Salford, is accused of criminal damage, said Greater Manchester Police.

A police spokesman said: “Yesterday morning (Wednesday), Greater Manchester Police were made aware of damage to the Glade of Light memorial, Victoria Street.”

Hosseni has been remanded in custody to appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on March 23.

The memorial is located between Manchester Cathedral and Chetham’s School of Music, at the foot of Fennel Street where it meets Victoria Street.

An official opening event is planned for spring 2022, ahead of the fifth anniversary of the attack committed by suicide bomber Salman Abedi, 22, at the end of an Ariana Grande concert.

The tribute is conceived as a living memorial – a peaceful garden space for remembrance and reflection, featuring plants which grow naturally in the UK countryside and have been selected to provide year-round colour and echo the changing seasons.

Around the anniversary every year, May 22, the white flowers of a hawthorn tree planted at its centre will bloom.