Faith leaders held hands and paused for a moment of silence in a show of defiance following the Manchester arena attack.

The Bishop of Manchester, David Walker, and Imam Irfan Chishti, of Manchester Central Mosque, were among the religious figures who joined crowds of Mancunians to express their unity.

The multi-faith vigil in memory of the victims of Monday's attack took place in St Ann's Square.

Piles of flowers left in tribute have been moved from Albert Square, where thousands of people gathered on Tuesday night, to the area in front of St Ann's Church.

Asian Image:

Gulnar Bano Khan Qadri is interviewed following a multi-faith vigil in St Ann's Square.

Asian Image:

People attend a multi-faith vigil in St Ann's Square, Manchester, to remember the victims of the Manchester terror attack.

The short service was led by Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation, who asked the crowd to raise and hold their hands to "send a positive image" of the city.

"Let's show solidarity and send a message to the world," he said.
Speaking after the vigil, Mr Shafiq told the Press Association that he believed the "human instinct" of holding hands defied religious labels and divisions.

He said: "The terrorist wanted to divide our community on Monday night, he killed innocent people and wanted to cause division and friction, and we are not going to allow him to succeed.

"We are going to stand together as one community, as one people, and show the world that we are united."