The families of those killed and injured in the Manchester Arena bombing have written to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, accusing MI5 of failing them and calling for the security service to be subjected to greater scrutiny. In a letter seen by the BBC, they demand that MI5 be fully included in the new 'Hillsborough law' – the Public Office (Accountability) Bill – which aims to prevent cover-ups in public life.
The attack, carried out by Salman Abedi at an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017, killed 22 people. His brother Hashem Abedi was later jailed for life with a minimum term of 55 years for assisting the plot. An inquiry into the bombing, chaired by retired High Court judge Sir John Saunders, found that MI5 missed a 'significant opportunity' to prevent the atrocity by failing to act on crucial intelligence in the months before.
Sir John concluded that had investigators acted more decisively on two pieces of intelligence, there was a 'realistic possibility' they could have thwarted the plot. Abedi had returned from Libya four days before the attack, where he had been fighting alongside Islamists, and used that time to construct a bomb while evading surveillance. Tougher action, the inquiry suggested, could have led to him being followed to the car where he stored his explosives.
The families' letter states: 'How many times must MI5 show that it cannot be trusted before something is done?' They argue that the Security Service must be included in the new accountability law to ensure transparency and prevent future failures. The government's bill, introduced in parliament, will require public officials and contractors to tell the truth in the aftermath of disasters.
In December, a judge ruled that nearly £20 million would be paid to 16 children injured in the bombing, with awards ranging from £11.4 million to £2,770. Some suffered catastrophic and life-changing injuries, while others endured psychological trauma from witnessing the carnage.
