MI5 boss reiterates apology to Arena families over missed chances to stop the bomber

The boss of MI5 has reiterated an apology he issued to the families of the Manchester Arena terror attack as they pursue a legal claim over a failure to act on intelligence which may have prevented the bombing.

In March last year, the agency's director general Ken McCallum expressed 'deep regret' that intelligence was not gathered which may have stopped suicide bomber Salman Abedi in his tracks. He said he was 'profoundly sorry' that MI5 was unable to prevent the 2017 attack which killed 22 people and left hundreds more injured.

He spoke out after a public inquiry 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 Abedi were assessed at the time by the security service to not relate to terrorism.

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But inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders, having heard from MI5 witnesses during secret hearings, rejected suggestions that the intelligence pointed to non terror-related activity. He said this did not present an 'accurate picture'.

The father of the youngest person to die in the bombing has previously said MI5 took 'most of the blame' and that he intends to sue MI5. Other agencies were also criticised by the inquiry.

Andrew Roussos, whose eight-year-old daughter Saffie-Rose was among the 22 who died, memorably told the public inquiry: "The response on that night was shameful and inadequate. Everyone in the City Room was let down and the people that excuse it should feel shame. As we just heard, what Saffie went through I will never forgive.

"That poor little girl hung in there for someone to come and help her. What she received was a bloody advertisement board and untrained people doing the best they could. Even when she got in the doors of the professional ambulance that got involved they didn't do much more."

In the wake of the inquiry's findings, Mr McCallum made a rare public statement in which he apologised for the failings identified and insisted improvements had been made.

He said: “Having examined all the evidence, the chair of the inquiry has found that ‘there was a realistic possibility that actionable intelligence could have been obtained which might have led to actions preventing the attack.’

“I deeply regret that such intelligence was not obtained. Gathering covert intelligence is difficult – but had we managed to seize the slim chance we had, those impacted might not have experienced such appalling loss and trauma. I am profoundly sorry that MI5 did not prevent the attack.”

A senior MI5 officer, known only as Witness J, had previously told the inquiry he is 'so sorry' the attack was not stopped. The national security agency had previously admitted Abedi had come across its radar 18 times since 2010 and also admitted a 'missed opportunity' to stop Salman Abedi when he landed at Manchester Airport, just a few days before he launched his attack.

Abedi, a Libyan-heritage, Fallowfield-raised Salford University student, was made a 'subject of interest' in 2014 - but the file was dropped four months later. The security services also found he had links to six other people of interest to them and, even a few months before the Arena atrocity, more information came to light which had flagged him up for potential further investigation, although the meeting to discuss his case was scheduled to take place nine days after the bombing.

It emerged earlier this year that lawyers representing more than 250 people caught up in the atrocity have instigated proceedings against MI5.

The agency declined to comment at the time but, at a briefing about the current threat from terrorism and hostile nations like Russia, the Manchester Evening News asked Mr McCallum to comment on the legal action being taken by the Arena families.

He said: "I suppose the first thing I'd like to say is to re-iterate the apology that I gave in March 2023 at the conclusion of the public inquiry conducted by Sir John Saunders where I said how very sorry I was that MI5 did not manage to seize the slim chance that we had to prevent the attack. I don't think that given we have ongoing legal processes it would be appropriate for me to comment any further."

The families have lodged their claim with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, an independent court established under Section 65 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA). The tribunal considers complaints under RIPA and claims under the Human Rights Act 1998.

It considers allegations of unlawful intrusion by public bodies, including the UK intelligence services, the police and local authorities, and investigates alleged conduct by or on behalf of the UK intelligence services whether or not it involves investigatory powers.