One victim of Manchester terror attack is half-Turkish: Reports

MANCHESTER

One of the victims of the May 22 terror attack in Manchester that killed 22 people and wounded many others was half-Turkish.  

The 29-year-old British writer and public relations manager, Martyn “Hakan” Hett, was among the victims identified in the suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert.

Hett had been living in the U.K. with his Turkish mother Figen.

Last year he became known for his efforts to promote his mother’s knitting business, becoming a viral sensation online after his mother failed to sell any of her handicrafts at a charity art fair.

After his Twitter post, an avalanche of interest poured in and his mother’s handcrafts soon began selling out.

He later posted a picture of a text sent from his mom, who wrote “you’ve made your mother very happy.” 

Friends initially reported Hett as being missing after they were separated from him inside the concert arena.

His family later confirmed Hett’s death on social media.

“They found my brother last night. We are heartbroken,” Dan Hett wrote on his Twitter account.

Hett’s boyfriend, Russell Hayward, also confirmed the death both in a tweet and to NBC News.

“We got the news last night that our wonderful iconic and beautiful Martyn didn’t survive,” Hayward wrote on Twitter. “He left this world exactly how he lived, centre of attention.”

Other friends have also been expressing their heartbreak online.

“Martyn Hett made people he didn’t even know smile every single day. Devastated at the news, and heartbroken for his friends and family,” wrote one friend.