The terrorists who carried out the bombing attack at an Ariana Grande concert in the British city of Manchester Monday were "very conscious about how to maximize casualties," former deputy CIA Director Michael Morell said Tuesday.
"Whoever did this was very sophisticated in both the location and the timing," Morell, now a senior national security contributor for CBS News, commented on the "CBS This Morning" program.
"The location was a place, as you know, where there's a large group of people exiting and the timing in terms of the end of the concert, more people flowing out massed together at the end of the concert than at the beginning."
Early Tuesday, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the bombing, which killed 22 people, including children attending the show, as Grande is very popular among tweens and young teenagers.
In addition, police have arrested a 23-year-old man in connection with the deadly attack.
Morell said Tuesday that there will likely be arrests of people already being watched by British intelligence, and who they fear could be triggered to commit copycat attacks.
He further said it's even possible that the bomber acted alone.
"Unfortunately, on the internet you can find instructions, detailed instructions on how to build a bomb like this," said Morell. "Unfortunately, yes, it is possible for somebody to do this on their own."
Morell said similar venues in the United States will likely have considerable security, including metal detectors, but at the same time, it's not quite clear what the security requirements were in Manchester.
"I heard different stories," he said, "but our security is pretty good."
However, no matter what precautions are taken, there is always the chance for a similar attack, including in the United States, said Morell.
"There is always a scene, there is always a place where security ends and that's what this bomber struck," he said. "That's always possible here as well."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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