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Don't Believe These Fake News Stories About The Ariana Grande Concert Attack

Trolls have come out in force following Monday's deadly blast in Manchester, England.
Lee Moran
By 

Reporter, HuffPost

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Fake news swept across the internet in the aftermath of a deadly explosion at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, on Monday night.

An attacker killed 22 people and injured dozens more, police say. Many used social media to offer and appeal for help, others used it as an opportunity to troll and put out false information.

Reports that a gunman was on the loose at a nearby hospital, that Grande had been injured in the blast and that she had immediately retired from music all circulated within hours of the explosion which British police are treating as a terrorist incident.

Here’s a round up of the fake news stories to watch out for so far:

Ariana Grande Was Not Photographed Backstage, Battered And Bruised
This photograph of a "battered and bruised" Grande was not taken backstage following the explosion. It's actually from when Grande was filming "Scream Queens" in New Orleans, Louisiana, in June 2015.
A Gunman Was Not On The Loose Outside A Nearby Hospital
Reports on Facebook, Twitter and two national British newspapers suggested that a gunman was on the loose at the Royal Oldham Hospital, which is some 10 miles away from the Manchester Arena, as casualties were arriving for treatment. Police swept the area as a precaution and said no gunman was present. Oldham Council later asked people to "only trust or share official sources of information."
This Little Boy Is Not Actually Missing
This photograph is in fact a promotional picture for Downs Designs, a company in Ohio that makes clothing for people with Down syndrome. HuffPost covered the company in this 2014 article, which features the same image.
Ariana Grande Has Not Quit Music
Dozens of misleading tweets have falsely suggested that Grande announced her retirement from music in the aftermath of the blast. Her international "Dangerous Woman Tour" has been “postponed indefinitely," but the singer has made no comment on her music future.

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