Survivors of 2017 Ariana Grande Manchester Concert Bombing Pursue Legal Action
Following the tragic bombing at a 2017 Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, over 250 survivors are pursuing legal action against Britain’s domestic intelligence agency, MI5. Represented by lawyers from multiple law firms, a joint claim has been submitted to the U.K.’s investigatory powers tribunal.
On May 22, 2017, suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a knapsack bomb as concert-goers were leaving the venue. The bombing claimed the lives of 22 individuals and left more than 100 injured.
An official inquiry last year revealed deficiencies in MI5’s handling of critical information that could have prevented the attack, which has been deemed one of the deadliest extremist assaults in recent U.K. history.
Abedi, previously flagged as a person of interest to MI5 in 2014, saw his case closed shortly after due to an assessment of low risk. Abedi had connections to Islamist extremists and was influenced by radical ideologies. The inquiry further uncovered that MI5 personnel failed to promptly share intelligence about Abedi's activities, leading to missed opportunities in averting the tragedy.
In response to the findings, Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, issued a rare televised apology, expressing deep regret over the agency's failure to prevent the attack.
Further details of the lawsuit have not been released because it is an ongoing legal matter.
