The UK inquiry into the bombing at Ariana Grande’s Manchester concert has concluded that there was a missed chance to prevent the attack.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – An inquiry into the deadly suicide bombing at the end of an Ariana Grande pop concert in the English city of Manchester in 2017 has concluded that there was a significant missed opportunity to take action that could have prevented the attack. The bombing, which claimed the lives of 22 people, including an eight-year-old, and left over 200 others injured, was the deadliest in Britain since the 2005 London transport suicide attacks.

According to the inquiry chairman, John Saunders, “there was a significant missed opportunity to take action that might have prevented the attack”. However, it is not possible to conclusively determine whether the attack would have been prevented had action been taken. This is the third and final report by Saunders on the bombing, and his previous reports identified serious shortcomings and mistakes in the security at the venue.

In addition, the report also found that one of the victims would have likely survived if the emergency services’ response had not been flawed. The bombing was carried out by Salman Abedi, with his younger brother Hashem sentenced to 55 years in prison in 2020 for encouraging and helping him. The brothers were born to Libyan parents who emigrated to Britain during the rule of Muammar Gaddafi. The elder brother, Ismail, was convicted in July in his absence for failing to attend the inquiry to give evidence after fleeing Britain.

/Mark S., Digital Sauce