Hundreds of survivors of the attack on the Ariana Grande concert have banded together: Because the domestic secret service misjudged evidence of the later perpetrator, he should be held responsible.
More than 250 survivors of the Islamist attack after an Ariana Grande concert are suing the British domestic secret service MI5. In the terrorist attack on May 22, 2017, a suicide bomber killed 22 music fans and injured hundreds in Manchester with a bomb. An investigation found that MI5 had missed a significant opportunity to prevent the attack despite helpful clues.
Intelligence could have led to the suicide bomber being tracked to a car in which he had stored the explosives. MI5 chief Ken McCallum expressed his “deep regret” after the investigative report was published over a year ago.
Ariana Grande performed at the Manchester Arena benefit concert for victims of the terrorist attack in June 2017.
The secret service had incorrectly classified information about the perpetrators
Legal representatives of survivors have now filed a class action lawsuit with the responsible investigative court, as the British news agency PA reported. The court is responsible for the security authorities and secret services. The law firms involved initially did not disclose any details. MI5 also declined to comment on the lawsuit.
The investigation revealed that MI5 had classified two pieces of information about the assassin as irrelevant at the time. An official acknowledged that the agency had considered a potentially urgent national security risk related to a tip. However, he did not immediately discuss this with colleagues and did not write a report that day. As a result, the opportunity to take a potentially important investigative action was missed.
Bomb detonated at the exit
The Islamist attacker detonated a bomb on May 22, 2017 as spectators were leaving the Manchester Arena after US singer Ariana Grande’s concert. Several children were among those killed. The terrorist militia “Islamic State” claimed responsibility for the crime.