Inquiry finds Manchester Arena bomber should have been identified as a threat
The first report from the inquiry has found there were multiple "missed opportunities" to stop the attack
Last updated 17th Jun 2021
Manchester Arena suicide bomber Salman Abedi should have been identified as a threat on the night of the attack by those in charge of security, a public inquiry into the May 2017 attack has found.
In his report examining security arrangements at the venue where 22 people were murdered and hundreds were injured at the end of an Ariana Grande concert, inquiry chairman Sir John Saunders found there were a number of missed opportunities to prevent or minimise the "devastating impact''.
Sir John said he considered it likely Salman Abedi would still have detonated his device if confronted "but the loss of life and injury is highly likely to have been less.''.
Manchester-born Abedi, of Libyan descent, walked across the City Room foyer of the venue towards the main doors and detonated his shrapnel-laden device, packed into his bulging rucksack, at 10.31pm on May 22 just as thousands, including many children, left the concert.
Hearings at the public inquiry into the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the attack have been ongoing in the city since September last year.
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson QPM said:
"We welcome the publication of Volume One of the Manchester Arena Inquiry following what has been a very detailed and thorough process.
"Greater Manchester Police has sought to support the Manchester Arena Inquiry and its evidence gathering throughout. We have already identified and made many positive improvements to the service we provide as evidence has been heard and this work continues.
"As an organisation, we will always do our utmost to keep the people of Greater Manchester safe so any opportunity for us to improve our ability to do so is one that we will strongly embrace.
"We will now need some time to reflect on the report in detail and carefully consider the recommendations that have been made. We will also continue to closely support the Public Inquiry for the remaining chapters and, as they have been from the very start, our thoughts today remain with all those whose lives were devastated by this horrible attack.
In a statement, arena security provider Showsec said:
"The chairman, Sir John Saunders and the inquiry legal team have put an enormous amount of work and effort into this important public inquiry.
"Showsec has learnt lessons from the terrible events of May 22 2017 and as the chairman has acknowledged Showsec improvements are already in place.
"Having been provided with the first volume of the report, Showsec will take some time to consider both Sir John's criticisms and his recommendations before responding as he has requested.
"As always, the families are at the forefront of our minds.''
SMG, operators of the Manchester Arena, said:
"On 22 May 2017, 22 innocent people tragically lost their lives and many others were injured when a terrorist detonated a bomb. The attack shocked the nation and the devastating impact was felt far beyond the City of Manchester.
"The impact was also felt across the industry and the environment in which we all operated changed dramatically that evening."
"Since the Inquiry began, questions have been asked of SMG and others about the security operations in place that evening. Throughout, we've been committed to working with the Inquiry to help the families of victims and survivors better understand the events of that evening, as well as look at the lessons learnt.
"During the Inquiry process, the experts stated that they did not see evidence that the security operation in place at Manchester Arena was out of step with the operations being used at other comparable venues.
"In fact, the standards that we adopted were in line with published industry guidance at the time. However, this doesn't give us any comfort. Our guests came to the arena to enjoy a show but were met with a horrific tragedy. For that we are truly sorry.''