An MSNBC analyst suggested during the network's live coverage of the Manchester bombing on Monday that the explosion could have just been a gas-filled balloon.
MSNBC law enforcement analyst Jim Cavanaugh cautioned that police had not named a cause yet in the explosion at an Ariana Grande concert. Despite host Chris Matthews confirming that around 20 people were dead and many more were injured, Cavanaugh suggested that the deaths could have been the result of a loud balloon popping.
"There was some reports of smoke, but we could have people injured in an accidental explosion, some kind of event in there with equipment, loud noise. You know, sometimes these concerts use fireworks, so there's reports that there's large gas-filled balloons there," he said.
"When you played that on the video, the sound of the explosion, one thing you've got to remember the stadium is like a bowl, and an explosion [that's] down in the center of that bowl is going to echo and reverberate throughout that bowl where the people are. It's going to sound very loud, whether it's a bomb or not," Cavanaugh continued.
As for the deaths? "It could be a loud noise, people reacting; the deaths could be from stampede," he argued.
Still, he couldn't rule out the obvious. "Could be a terrorist bomb. These venues are targets, Chris, as we all know."