MI5 reported to have 'missed significant opportunity' to stop Arena bomber Salman Abedi

A damning third and final report of the public inquiry into the shocking Manchester Arena bombing in May, 2017, has revealed that there was 'a significant missed opportunity to take action' on the part of MI5 that might have prevented the murders of 22 people.

Royton mums Lisa Lees and Alison Howe were among those tragically killed in the attack, which took place as crowds left an Ariana Grande concert on May 22, 2017.

One of two key pieces of intelligence about suicide bomber Salman Abedi - both of which weren't passed on to police by MI5 - 'gave rise to the real possibility of obtaining information that might have led to actions which prevented the attack', revealed Sir John Saunders' report today (Thursday).

The inquiry has also found that bomber Abedi probably received help from someone in Libya, and with this finding, Sir John contradicts an previous MI5 assessment.

The inquiry chairman has also said that Abedi should have been referred to the counter-extremism Prevent programme.

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman has since said that she will work with MI5 and the police to study the report's recommendations.

In a joint statement, the families of the 22 who were killed in the attack say it's a "devastating conclusion".

Richard Scorer, principal lawyer at Slater and Gordon, said on the families' behalf: “Today’s report has been deeply painful to read, but also eye opening.

"On the issue of the preventability of this attack, inevitably the report provides less information than we would have wanted.

"But it is now very clear that there was a failure to properly assess key intelligence about Salman Abedi; a failure to put it into proper context; and - most catastrophic of all - a delay in acting on it.

"As a result of these failures, at the very least, a real possibility of preventing this attack was lost.

"This is a devastating conclusion for us.

"The failures exposed in this report are unacceptable.

"The public are entitled to expect that information of national security importance will be acted on speedily, and – crucially - that the system will ensure that this happens.

"It MUST do so in the future.

"We note that Sir John will be making recommendations in his closed report.

"We trust that these recommendations will be acted on, and that Sir John will be vigilant in monitoring their implementation.   

"We welcome the other conclusions and recommendations in this report.

"It is clear that Salman Abedi should have been referred to Prevent.

"It is clear that the education system needs to be more vigilant in picking up signs of radicalisation.

"It is clear that Didsbury mosque turned a blind eye to extremism in its midst.

"Sir John’s report today contains many lessons; we must heed every one of them and make the necessary changes urgently. 

"On 22 May 2017, thousands of people left their homes to attend a concert at Manchester Arena.

"Twenty-two of those would never return home.

"Those killed and injured in this murderous attack had every right to feel safe and protected, but as this Inquiry has demonstrated, they were failed at every level - before, during and after this horrific attack. 

"Even now, some families feel let down by the government’s refusal to allow them to register their loved one’s death, which for some is a key part of the grieving process and which is now wrongly being denied to them.    

"Finally we want to pay tribute to Sir John Saunders and the Inquiry Legal Team for their unwavering determination to uncover the truth.

"We thank the Inquiry Support Staff and the Resilience Hub for their support throughout. 

"As this process now ends, we pay tribute to those who lost their lives.

"We also ask that our privacy is respected as we process the Inquiry’s findings.”

MI5 Director General Ken McCallum has said that he is "profoundly sorry" that the secret service was not able to prevent the Manchester Arena attack.

In a statement, Mr McCallum said: "The terrorist attack at the Manchester Arena was a terrible tragedy.

"The bomber killed 22 innocent people and harmed many others.

"My thoughts are with the families and friends of those killed, and with all those whose lives were changed by this appalling act of terrorism.

"Having examined all the evidence, the chair of the inquiry has found that 'there was a realistic possibility that actionable intelligence could have been obtained which might have led to actions preventing the attack'.

"I deeply regret that such intelligence was not obtained.

"Gathering covert intelligence is difficult – but had we managed to seize the slim chance we had, those impacted might not have experienced such appalling loss and trauma.

"I am profoundly sorry that MI5 did not prevent the attack."

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