More than 300 survivors of the tragic 2017 bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, which claimed the lives of 22 individuals, had their legal claim against Britain's domestic intelligence agency, MI5, dismissed by a special tribunal on Friday.
The bombing, carried out by suicide bomber Salman Abedi at the Manchester Arena on May 22, 2017, resulted in over 100 injuries, with many being children and teenagers attending the concert. Abedi, who died in the explosion, had been previously flagged as a 'subject of interest' by MI5 in 2014 but was later deemed low risk, leading to missed opportunities to prevent the attack.
An official inquiry revealed that MI5 failed to act promptly on crucial information, with one officer identifying Abedi as a potential national security concern but not escalating the issue in a timely manner.
In a rare televised statement, MI5's head, Ken McCallum, expressed deep regret over the agency's inability to thwart the attack, acknowledging the profound impact it had on the victims and their families.
Justice Rabinder Singh, while acknowledging the immense suffering of the victims, ruled that the claims could not proceed due to the delay in filing them, stating that it would be unfair to allow the case to move forward when it could have been initiated earlier.
Singh emphasized that the victims' grief and trauma, especially the loss of young children, were unimaginable, but highlighted that pursuing the case would divert MI5 from its primary mission.
Following the tribunal's decision, three law firms representing the survivors expressed disappointment, noting the prolonged delays in seeking justice and transparency for their clients.
The ruling, while disheartening for the survivors, underscores the complexities of balancing accountability and national security concerns in the aftermath of such tragic events.
