The British are sending a powerful message to ISIS terrorists — in the form of a Royal Air Force bomb, which is adorned with a hand-written note that says, “Love from Manchester.”
Photos of the munition emerged on social media Thursday and were later confirmed by RAF officials and the Ministry of Defense.
“The sentiment of the message written on the weapon is understandable and such writing has history in the RAF, so the individual concerned will not be taken to task,” a military source told The Telegraph.
The laser-guided Paveway IV bomb is expected to be dropped on ISIS forces in the Middle East after being loaded onto a British jet at the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus, the outlet reports.
Many people initially thought the picture of it was a fake, but an RAF spokesperson later insisted it was “genuine.”
Regardless, social media users were quick to share the image following the deadly attack at Manchester Arena on Monday night.
“The RAF heading towards an ISIS target have scrawled a message for the recipients. Good,” Australian senator James McGrath wrote on Facebook.
“I hope they send a HELL of a lot more than one,” tweeted one person.
“Brits don’t forget nor do they forgive,” another said.
But countless people were also blasting the RAF for the message.
“Genuinely sickening,” wrote one Twitter user. “Do you really think the 22 who lost their lives want to bomb people as ‘revenge’?”
Political commentator Patricia Mac Bride tweeted, “This is disturbing and wrong.”
“Game of Thrones” actor Daniel Portman added: “What does this achieve? Love from Manchester, let’s bomb some people who were nothing to do with what happened?”
Salman Abedi, 22, reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS before blowing himself on Monday night inside Manchester Arena at the end of an Ariana Grande concert. He wound up killing 22 people in the attack, and wounded scores more.
Authorities are looking into whether the UK-born terrorist traveled to his parents’ home country of Libya, or somewhere in the Middle East, to train with Islamic State operatives. His father has insisted that he hasn’t, though.
“Unless you’re dropping those bombs on muslim-controlled areas in the UK, this isn’t going to accomplish anything,” fumed one Twitter user.
“Why are ppl loving the missile marked with ‘love from Manchester’?” said Jules McLean. “That s–t aint right. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind.”
