House Speaker Paul Ryan extended his condolences to the victims of the families of those affected by the terrorist attack in Machester, England, during the House GOP’s leadership press conference Tuesday.
Twenty-two were killed and dozens more injured — many of which were children — after a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device outside an Ariana Grande concert Monday evening.
Ryan said he was particularly struck by the attacker targeting a younger demographic, adding he’s praying for those who are still searching for their children.
“I don’t know—maybe it’s because I am a father of teenagers, but that is the part that keeps me coming back to this. I mean, think about the kids who had this date on their calendar circled,” he told reporters. “Think about the kids who got their parents to agree to take them to the concert. Or maybe it was a birthday present, or maybe it was a surprise.”
He said it’s not surprising ISIS is responsible for the attacks and asserted the country needs to remain strong in its goal to prevent future attacks by radical Islamic groups.
“To deliberately target innocent children is cowardice in its most heinous form. So we should not be surprised that ISIS has claimed responsibility for this attack,” he continued. “But we will never bow or bend to radical Islamic terror.”
Ryan said the United States will stand by the United Kingdom, one of the country’s strongest allies as the grieve the most deadly attack since 2005.
“Terror is a threat that we all face together—and with our might, and with our humanity too. In that spirit, I want to express solidarity of the whole House of Representatives to Prime Minister May and her government. We stand ready to help in any way we can.”
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