THE Manchester Arena attack was condemned by Wali Rahman, secretary of Wiltshire Islamic Cultural Centre.

He said: “We echo the sentiments of the Muslim Council of Britain and hundreds of other mosques and Islamic organisations up and down the country, in their shock and devastation at the barbaric and cowardly attack which targeted innocent lives, including those of young people.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims, their families and the resilient people of Manchester which includes the emergency services and NHS staff attending to the tragedy and its aftermath.

“We stand united with Manchester, the British people in general and people all over the world who suffer at the hands of the small yet dangerous minority of murderous extremists and remind people that terrorism has no religion and despite their claim, the terrorists have nothing to do with Islam.

“We urge all peace-loving people of all racial and religious/non-religious backgrounds to stay united in the face of terror and to not let the extremists divide us.

“We also urge people to look out for one another, stay vigilant and co-operate with the authorities if they know or are aware of any extremist activity.”