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Hello,
Many crucial questions regarding the Manchester Arena terror attack remain unanswered. Many too have been answered with brutal frankness.
The public inquiry into the atrocity spanned two-years with evidence from 267 witnesses. It uncovered a litany of failings by emergency services, arena staff and MI5 and exposed the best and worst of humanity.
The families of those murdered in the attack heard harrowing medical evidence, complex legalese and heartbreaking testimony about their loved ones’ last moments. But, in the name of national security, they were also locked out of discussions about the security services and if they could have stopped Salman Abedi. The final report will be cold comfort to them after they paid the ultimate price for these failings.
Reporter Paul Britton covered the inquiry from the very first day back in September 2020. Crime reporter John Scheerhout also reported on large chunks and together they covered each day of the inquiry, as well as the trial of Salman Abedi’s extremist brother Hashem for the Manchester Evening News.
It has given both journalists a unique perspective on the extraordinary processes that followed the atrocity. Paul and John are cut from the same cloth - reporters used to getting on with any story they are assigned because ‘it’s the job’.
But hearing evidence that brought even inquiry chairman, Sir John Saunders to tears cannot have been easy. They wouldn't say it themselves so I will - they have done an incredible job in covering the fine detail of an arduous but essential inquiry and court case.
I’ve been speaking to Paul about the inquiry, the lessons learnt and recommendations for action.
Were you shocked by the contents of this third volume?
Paul: I think all who followed the evidence were expecting MI5 to be criticised to a degree in the report, but we didn't know how far that criticism would go. Inquiry chairman Sir John stopped short of saying he believed the attack SHOULD have been prevented. It was clear who the main figures were in terms of Salman Abedi's radicalisation, but the report lays bare the influences they had on him and his brother, Hashem.
In Volume 2 of the report, we heard mistakes had been foreshadowed in previous training exercises. Now we hear there was a 'significant missed opportunity' on the part of MI5. What’s your reaction to hearing about these repeated failings?
Paul: For me, some of the most damning evidence - which would have been incredibly upsetting for the families to hear - was surrounding a multi-emergency services training exercise held in 2016 before the bombing. Things went dreadfully wrong that night and almost exactly the same errors were made on the night of the bombing. Lessons should have been learnt but were not. The criticism of MI5 centres around two key pieces of evidence that were not thought to be relevant at the time, but were later deemed to be highly relevant. They weren't actioned or passed on as they should have been.
Do you think there is frustration about the details we will never hear in the name of national security? Does that frustrate you personally?
Paul: Put simply, yes. On the part of the families, definitely. Sir John, the chairman, was very clear in what he said. He said it was important to hold closed session hearings and because he did, he was able to reveal more information and detail. What the two pieces of information were, and their relevance, will never be known. There's a balance between national security and revealing publicly potentially sensitive information. Sir John said he went as far as he could and for me, I respect that.
There seems to be a running theme in terms of apologies and when they are actually offered up. Did that apology from MI5 come too late?
Paul: There was an apology during the inquiry's evidence. In October 2021, a senior MI5 officer said the service was 'so sorry' the Manchester Arena attack wasn't stopped.
Giving evidence from a concealed wooden box at the inquiry, 'Witness J' offered his condolences to the bereaved families and all those injured in the terror bombing. For the families, however, it will I'm sure, have come too late.
Sir John absolved Abedi’s schools and colleges but has made recommendations for changes in the education system. Do you think this will make a difference in future? And is the Prevent strategy fit for purpose?
Paul: The chairman did make recommendations that, in my view, should be implemented. He said the issue 'raises the question' of whether more could, and should, be done to share information in terms of a child's academic history and went on to make a series of recommendations for educational reform and change. Abedi went to a number of different educational establishments but information on him wasn't shared as he moved.
Sir John made two recommendations to the Department for Education, around the recording of any behaviour that may be indicative of violent extremism and for images of school pupils or college students handling firearms being recorded as a potential indicator of violent extremism.
Sir John mentioned Abedi’s family and ‘Islamic State poster boys’ as contributory factors to Abedi’s radicalisation - but given the details that emerged during Hashem’s trial do you think they were in fact the main influence?
Paul: I think they were a main influence on him, yes, but there were others. Most notably I believe others in Libya who haven't been identified or named. The final report from the inquiry reveals 'people in Libya probably knew' what suicide bomber Salman Abedi 'intended to do'.
You described John Saunders as having ‘an air of calm, real interest and intellect’ - do you think this calm approach has helped the process?
Paul: I think Sir John has presided over the inquiry very well. Obviously it's been a gruelling and long-running inquiry, with complex issues and structures discussed. He's always tried to avoid jargon in favour of plain speaking and that, no doubt, has helped the inquiry.
What needs to happen now?
Paul: I think now, every organisation criticised needs to take a long look at themselves and change the way they operate so this can never happen again. The chairman's many recommendations, I believe, should all be adopted. I would also personally like to see regular, large-scale counter-terrorism training exercises involving all of the emergency services.
After so long covering the inquiry, how do you feel now it's over? And how do you think the events of May 22, 2017 changed Manchester?
Paul: I think the events of that night changed the whole of the UK, not just Manchester. Although it will always be felt most keenly here. It's been a difficult inquiry to cover, but it was crucially important that we did cover every day and go into fine detail as it has now produced an account of the proceedings that will stand the test of time.
READ MORE: The Arena bombing happened after the security services let us down. Why won't they tell us why?
Witness to the inquiry
Sir John Saunders has called for legislation around crucial public inquiry witnesses to be strengthened in the wake of the public inquiry into the Manchester Arena attack.
The inquiry chairman wants laws to 'restrict’ the movements of key witnesses after Ismail Abedi - the elder brother of bomber Salman Abedi - skipped the country despite having 'highly relevant information to give'.
Sir John wants a change to an Act of Parliament after the case of Ismail Abedi, who was found with 'a significant volume of extremist material' two years before the atrocity, as Paul Britton reports. A warrant for his arrest remains in place after he was convicted in his absence of failing to comply with a legal requirement to attend the inquiry and give evidence.
Sir John said in his view, there should be 'statutory powers available to the High Court capable of applying short-term restrictions on the movements of a citizen who is a material witness to an inquiry', if there are fears they wouldn't co-operate.
He made a series of recommendations around the Inquiries Act 2005 in his third and final report arising from the inquiry, which found missed opportunities on the part of security service MI5 to stop the terror attack and delved into the circumstances behind the bomber's radicalisation.
A cataclysmic failure
The father of Saffie-Rose Roussos - the youngest victim of the Manchester Arena bombing - says MI5 are 'not fit to keep us safe'.
Reacting to the inquiry finding that there was 'a significant missed opportunity to take action' on the part of MI5, Andrew Roussos says hearing about how the 'tragedy might have been avoided' was 'devastating' for families involved.
“Our beautiful little girl lost her life because of the failings of the security services” he says. “We all heard the evidence and knew there were failings, but hearing how this tragedy might have been avoided is devastating for us all.
“This was a cataclysmic failure, and it is clear from all of the evidence we have heard about Abedi that there were many opportunities for the security services to have ensured the bombing never happened.
“In my view the fact that MI5 failed to stop him despite all of the red flags available demonstrates they are not fit to keep us safe and therefore not fit for purpose.”
The security service’s director general, Ken McCallum, issued an apology after the public inquiry found it might have been prevented if MI5 had acted more swiftly on a piece of intelligence received in the months before.
Didsbury Mosque responds
Leaders at Didsbury mosque have responded to criticism they faced in the third and final report of the public inquiry - denying they showed 'wilful blindness' to highly-charged political debate about conflict in Libya before the atrocity.
Elders were accused of 'weak leadership' and were found to have not paid 'sufficient attention' to what went on at the mosque. There were no policies in place that were 'robust enough to prevent the politicisation of its premises', Sir John Saunders said.
Chair of trustees Fawzi Haffar was also criticised for giving 'unreliable' evidence during the inquiry in saying the mosque had 'no ties to Libya' and no knowledge anyone from the mosque had gone to Libya. He was also accused of 'downplaying' the Abedi's family's links to the mosque.
Suicide bomber Salman Abedi and his jailed brother, Hashem attended the mosque on Burton Road in West Didsbury as youngsters while their father, Ramadan Abedi, performed the call to prayer. Ismail Abedi, the elder brother, volunteered in the mosque's Arabic school - and their mother taught there briefly.
Damon Wilkinson reports on a lengthy statement released by the mosque today, which says it 'does not agree' with the assertion its leaders had been 'wilfully blind'. "There were no meetings of radical Libyan groups at the mosque," they said.
"Evidence was provided to the Inquiry that proved there is a longstanding policy of not allowing overseas politics at the mosque. Like many mosques the meeting room was hired for humanitarian aid work in Libya and for other countries, this is not evidence of extremism."
They said Mr Haffar has never met anyone from the Abedi family and other trustees and staff confirmed what they knew to the Inquiry.
The mosque also accused the inquiry of confusing 'political comments and discussions about conflicts overseas with extremism that leads to terrorism'.
Supreme Court in Manchester
The Supreme Court will sit in Manchester for the first time next week.
The court, usually based in London, is the final court of appeal for all civil and criminal cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Next week will mark the first time it has been held in a city other than Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff or London.
Cases will be heard at Manchester's Civil Justice Centre, a building which opened in 2007 and is often nicknamed the 'filing cabinet' due to its distinctive design. They will be heard on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and members of the public can attend.
Decades in the making
Deansgate’s ‘eyesore’ former Renaissance Hotel is due to be redeveloped after planners gave the go-ahead for a new apartment block on the site.
It’s been almost 27 years since plans were assembled to breathe new life into the area following the 1996 IRA bombing - and multiple attempts to redevelop the hotel have failed since, as Ethan Davies reports.
But plans by Property Alliance Group and Starwood Capital are the third and final element in the £210m regeneration of the hotel. They already have permission to open a Treehouse Hotel and a ‘stunning’ office block on the site. Now, work can begin on the ‘luxury’ 300-home apartment building, which will be called One Cathedral Square.
Work is due to begin later this year.
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Weather etc
Saturday: Overcast. 8C.
Road closures: M67 Eastbound entry slip road closed due to long-term roadworks at J2 St Annes Road (Denton). Until 1st December 2025.
A627 Dowson Road Northbound, Hyde, closed due to water main work from Thornley Street to B6468 Market Street. Until 3rd March.
Manchester headlines
Wheeling solo: Robots which were spotted wheeling solo through the streets of Sale will soon be delivering bags of shopping in Greater Manchester. The small white robots were designed by Starship - a company offering 'meals on six wheels'. They have been 'mapping' the local area in anticipation of the launch in parts of Trafford, which is expected later this month. More here.
Charged: Ten men have been charged with more than 50 offences between them as part of an investigation into child sexual exploitation in Bolton. Operation Pavarotti was launched in 2018 after numerous victims came forward with claims dating back to 2016 and 2018 relating to the Blackrod area. The ten men were charged on Thursday, Greater Manchester Police say. Some of the charges include alleged offences of rape and sexual activity with a child. The men will all appear at Bolton Combined Court on April 4. More here.
Gross misconduct: A former Greater Manchester Police officer who messaged a sex worker about pricing while on duty has been barred from serving in the police. Ex-constable Wesley Bishop, who has now resigned from the force, was found to have breached professional behaviour standards with his actions deemed to have amounted to 'gross misconduct'. GMP has not revealed the content of the conversation due to the 'graphic language' involved, but chief constable Stephen Watson told an accelerated misconduct hearing on Thursday that the messaging amounted to 'very explicit pricing details for specific and various sexual purposes'. Bishop has admitted to sending the messages while on duty. Mr Watson said that the evidence does not suggest Bishop was engaging in exploitative behaviour. However, he argued that the former police constable's actions were a 'significant deviation' from what is expected from an officer. More here.
Downgraded: Staff shortages led to 'frequent closures' of a Greater Manchester hospital's birthing centre, midwifery-led unit and postnatal wards, inspectors have found. The issues have led to limited options for people giving birth and delays in patients being transferred to the labour ward, the Care Quality Commission has said. Following a November inspection, the watchdog has downgraded the rating of maternity services at Royal Bolton Hospital from 'good' to requires 'improvement' overall. The service was found to 'not always manage safety incidents well', with a 'backlog of incidents awaiting review'. Bosses at the hospital trust say improvements are already well underway following the inspection. More here.
Worth a read
It was a serendipitous find in a local record shop. David Prior was already excited when he was handed an original copy of the Pet Shop Boys’ single West End Girls. But when he spotted something under its sleeve he discovered a note written by Neil Tennant thanking Radio 1 DJ Janice Long for playing his song on her show.
David says he has uncovered a 'bona fide piece of pop memorabilia' at Dead Cloud Records, in Altrincham, and he plans to frame it and put it up on his wall.
Here’s the letter and here’s the full story, by Damon Wilkinson.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk.
I’ll be away next week so I'll be leaving you in the capable hands of the wonderful Adam Maidment.
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