Families of some of those killed in the Manchester Arena bombing have said they hope “real changes” will be made to stop future terror attacks, as the inquiry into the atrocity ends.
The inquiry began in September 2020 and heard its final submissions on Tuesday after 196 days of often harrowing evidence.
Twenty-two people died on 22 May 2017 when Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old born and bred in Manchester with Libyan roots, detonated a suicide bomb hidden in his rucksack.
Kim Harrison, a lawyer from Slater 7 Gordon who represents the families of 12 of the 22 victims, praised the bereaved for their “dignity, patience and great strength”.
She said: “With each chapter of the inquiry heard our clients have had to sit and listen to a catalogue of organisational failings at every turn – from failings with the running of the arena and its security and medical provision, to failings of the emergency services on the night and latterly to the failures of the security services including MI5 and CPT [counter-terror police] to keep their loved ones safe that night.
“Learning how badly their loved ones were failed by all those organisations has greatly exacerbated their grief and suffering.”
She thanked members of the public and some of the emergency services who committed “acts of true heroism” to step in selflessly to help in what was a very dangerous situation.
She added: “The families we represent desperately want something positive to come from this inquiry and for real changes to be made to keep members of the public safer from acts of terrorism in the future.”
The inquiry is aiming to publish its second report, which examines the actions of the emergency services, before the parliamentary summer recess, set provisionally for 22 July. Volume 3, which looks at the security services, will be published separately later in the year.
The first report, published by the chairman of the inquiry last year, found that Abedi should have been identified as a security threat on the night of the attack.
Sir John Saunders found there were “serious shortcomings” and a number of missed opportunities by those in charge of security to prevent the attack. Saunders said he considered it likely Abedi would still have detonated his device if confronted, “but the loss of life and injury is highly likely to have been less”.
Harrison said: “On behalf of those we represent, we urge the inquiry to be equally clear-sighted and brave in its chapter 2 and 3 reports dealing with the actions of the emergency services and the security services, to ensure that real change is effected and this country becomes a safer place out of this dreadful act of terror.”
