Glade of Light: Salford man charged with damaging Manchester Arena bomb memorial

A man was due in court today (10 February) on suspicion of damaging the Glade of Light memorial in Manchester city centre.

Anwar Hosseini, from Salford, was set to appear in the dock at Manchester and Salford Magistrates’ Court on Thursday after being charged with criminal damage.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said it was made aware that the memorial, which remembers the victims of the Manchester Arena terrorist bombing, had been damaged on the morning of Wednesday 9 February.

Hosseini, who is 24 and of Twillbrook Drive, was remanded into custody after being charged, before his appearance in front of a bench in court.

The Glade of Light, which honours the 22 people who were killed on 22 May 2017, was opened to the public in early January this year.

The site, which is on Victoria Street, has as its centrepiece a large white marble halo which bears the names of those who lost their lives in the attack.

The halo contains personalised memory capsules with mementos and messages in which were placed there by their families.