'The corporate position lacked candour to the families and the public'

MI5 DENIES CLAIM MADE BY ARENA ATROCITY FAMILIES' LAWYER OVER EVIDENCE IT GAVE TO SAUNDERS INQUIRY

- JOHN SCHEERHOUT

MI5 ‘lacked candour’ when it gave evidence to the Manchester Arena bomb inquiry and other reviews of the atrocity, a lawyer representing families affected by the outrage has told a tribunal.

The claim, strenuously denied, was made by a KC representing the families as the security services attempted to block a legal action taken against survivors, arguing it was brought too late.

The public inquiry into the 2017 attack found the bombing might have been prevented if MI5 had acted on intelligence received in the months before the attack when two pieces of information about the bomber, Salman Abedi, were assessed at the time by the security service to not relate to terrorism.

But inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders said, having heard from MI5 witnesses at secret hearings, he considered that did not present an ‘accurate picture’.

Following publication of the inquiry’s final report last year, MI5’s director-general Ken McCallum expressed ‘deep regret’ that intelligence was not gathered which may have stopped Abedi in his tracks, and said he was ‘profoundly sorry’ that MI5 was unable to prevent it.

Lawyers representing more than 250 people caught up in the attack at the Ariana Grande concert have submitted a financial claim to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT), arguing evidence of missed intelligence only emerged during the public inquiry, which submitted its final report in March 2023.