U.K. intelligence missed chance to prevent deadly 2017 bombing at Ariana Grande concert, inquiry finds

Britain’s domestic intelligence agency did not act quickly on vital information and missed a crucial opportunity to prevent a suicide bombing that killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande concert in northwest England in 2017, an investigation found Thursday.

Retired judge John Saunders, who led the inquiry into the Manchester Arena attack, said one MI5 officer admitted he considered the intelligence on Salman Abedi’s suicide bombing a national security matter, but did not discuss it with colleagues immediately.

“I found an important missed opportunity to take action that could have prevented the attack,” he said.

In a rare televised statement, MI5 director general Ken McCallum said he was “sorry that MI5 did not prevent the attack.”

“Gathering covert intelligence is difficult, but if we can seize the slim chance, those affected may not experience terrible loss and trauma,” McCallum said.

Bombers are a ‘subject of interest’

Abedi, 22, set off a knapsack bomb in the arena’s foyer at the end of a concert on May 22, 2017, as thousands of young fans, including many children, left the pop star’s show. More than 100 people were injured. Abedi died in the explosion.

His brother, Hashem Abedi, was indicted in 2020 for helping to plan and carry out the attack. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Saunders said MI5 acted on the intelligence it received, which may have led to action – including being able to stop Abedi at Manchester Airport on his return from Libya just four days before the attack.

Caroline Curry, whose 19-year-old son Liam Curry was among those killed in the bombing, said Thursday she could not forgive intelligence officials for their mistakes.

“From top to bottom, MI5 to your fellow attackers, we will always believe that you are all complicit in killing our children,” she told reporters.

Many MI5 witnesses gave evidence behind closed doors to the inquiry and the intelligence was not disclosed publicly.

WATCH | People describe what they heard and saw when the bomb went off:

Abedi had been a “subject of interest” to MI5 officers in 2014, but the case was closed soon after because he was considered low risk.

Saunders also said authorities failed to refer Abedi to the government’s counterterrorism program, known as Prevent.

“I have come to the conclusion that there was at least one point in Salman Abedi’s journey to violent extremism when he should have been referred,” he said.

Thursday’s report is the third and final in the raid.

Saunders previously criticized arena security staff and local police for failing to identify Abedi as a threat. They also slammed the delay and failure to respond to emergency services on the night of the bombing.