SSE Arena Belfast events to '˜proceed as planned' after Manchester terror attack

The senior management of the Odyssey Trust and SSE Arena, Belfast have released a statement saying they were “shocked and saddened” by the events in Manchester last night.

Twenty-two people, including children, were killed and dozens were injured after a bomb tore through young music fans at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in the Manchester Arena.

Neil Walker, general manager of the SSE Arena, said that while there would be additional security measures in place, upcoming events at the venue would proceed as planned.

“We have carefully assessed the implications of this attack for upcoming events at the SSE Arena, Belfast and all events are currently proceeding as planned, including this evening’s show by Professor Brian Cox,” he said.

“We have met this morning with the PSNI and Harbour Police and are taking all steps to minimise any security risk.

“We take security very seriously and safety of our patrons is always our top priority. We believe in the current circumstances it is important that we continue to operate as normal. We would advise people coming to this evening’s event to allow some extra time for additional security measures.”