Local & Community

MI5 missed opportunities to prevent Manchester Arena bombing, inquiry finds

Police at the scene of an explosion at the Manchester Arena, UK, Photo Date: 5/22/2017

  (CNN) — MI5, the United Kingdom’s domestic spy agency, missed an opportunity to prevent the Manchester Arena bombing, an inquiry into the terror attack has found according to a report in British news agency PA Media.

At least 22 people were killed in the attack at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, on Monday, May 22, 2017.

The final report of a public inquiry led by chairman John Saunders and released Thursday found that the attack might have been prevented if MI5 had acted on two key pieces of information regarding bomber Salman Abedi.

The information was assessed by MI5 and not found to be terrorism-related, but an officer has admitted that they did consider one detail to contain a potentially urgent national security concern.

However, the issue was not immediately addressed with other colleagues.

“The delay in providing the report led to the missing of an opportunity to take a potentially important investigative action,” Saunders wrote in his report.

“Based on everything the Security Service knew or should have known, I am satisfied that such an investigative action would have been a proportionate and justified step to take. This should have happened.

“Although I accept that Salman Abedi demonstrated some security consciousness and that this might have affected the efficacy of the investigative action that I have identified, there was the real possibility that it would have produced actionable intelligence.”

Abedi detonated the bomb that killed himself and 22 concertgoers, and injured hundreds more — many of them children and young people — as they left Manchester Arena after an Ariana Grande concert.

His younger brother Hashem Abedi, 22, was in Libya at the time of the attack, but was arrested shortly after the bombing and extradited back to the UK in 2019.

In March 2020, he was found guilty of 22 counts of murder, one of attempted murder and one of conspiracy to cause an explosion and jailed for a minimum of 55 years.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

By: Ceci Partridge

March 2, 2023

Link Copied To Clipboard!
Latest Instagram Posts
54

BREAKING: Human remains believed to be those of 17-year-old T’neya Tovar have been discovered at a second site in the Salton City area, according to the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office. A skull and rib cage were found during a search involving Imperial County investigators and the FBI. Testing is still needed to confirm the remains belong to Tovar. The discovery comes one day after suspect Finebloom pleaded guilty to torture and voluntary manslaughter as part of a plea agreement that could result in a sentence of 13 years to life. More details on NBCPalmSprings.com

91

NBC Palm Springs went back to Indio Hills today after Dillon Road flooded last night, forcing many residents to leave. One resident told us he is back today, working on repairs—after his home faced extensive damage in the flood. be sure to visit nbcpalmsprings.com for a live look at the area today. #coachellavalley #weather #flood #indiohills #weather

1524

This afternoon in Salton City, the FBI and Imperial County Sheriff’s Department were in the neighborhood of Abraham Feinbloom. Searching just after a plea deal was made to where Feinbloom agreed to show investigators where the remains of T’Neya Tovar are. Feinbloom pled guilty to one count of torture and voluntary manslaughter. Tonight you’ll hear from neighbors who have been following the case from the very beginning, that story will be on nbcpalmsprings.com #nbcpalmsprings #abrahamfeinbloom #fyp #murdercase #missingteenager

299

“WHAT ARE YOU HIDING?” Why won’t CVUSD just open the books? Drop your thoughts below 👇 #therogginreport #cvusd #coachellavalley #localnews #nbcpalmsprings

461

🌧️ Flash flooding swept across parts of the Coachella Valley overnight, leaving vehicles stranded and roads closed. CHP and emergency crews responded as water, rocks and debris impacted roadways in Indio Hills and along Dillon Road. Drivers in that area are urged to use alternate routes.

28

Social Time with Thalia & Jerry. Who’s your baseball team?

94

Salton city resident Abraham Feinbloom is expected to take a plea deal in the murder case of 17 year old T’Neya Tovar. Under the plea deal obtained by the Imperial County Criminal Courthouse, Feinbloom will plead guilty to one count of torture and voluntary manslaughter. According to court records, he is also expected to assist law enforcement in finding the rest of the victim’s remains. Our @newsbyalondra will be inside the courtroom for his official sentencing Tuesday, September 29th with the very latest.

187

“Of you can’t find things out as a Board President… then what are they hiding?” Why is the elected board president being blocked from financial records? Drop your thoughts below👇 #therogginreport #coachellavalley #coachella #localnews #nbcpalmsprings

73

After AB 1145 (also known as Tristin’s Bill) was signed into law, NBC Palm Springs @maria_nvtv is giving more information about the law and what this means for the future of transportation in California #Highway74 #RoadSafety #CoachellaValley #Anza #RiversideCounty

63

Pregame update from Tim O’Brien ahead of tonight’s preseason matchup between the Coachella Valley Firebirds and the Ontario Reign. Tim has the latest from Acrisure Arena as the Firebirds get set for tonight’s game. UPDATE: Firebirds #CVFirebirds #CoachellaValleyFirebirds #OntarioReign #AHL #Hockey PalmSprings CoachellaValley

MI5 missed opportunities to prevent Manchester Arena bombing, inquiry finds