Manchester Arena bomb survivors’ legal claim against MI5 rejected

Twenty-two people were killed and hundreds injured when a suicide bomber detonated his device at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017 at Manchester Arena.

In March 2023, MI5 director-general Ken McCallum said he was “profoundly sorry” the security service had not been able to prevent the attack.

His comments followed a public inquiry which concluded MI5 had missed a significant chance to take action that might have stopped the bombing.

IPTs allow anyone who believes they have been the victim of unlawful action by a public authority using covert investigative techniques to seek redress.

While rejecting the claim brought by survivors and the bereaved, Lord Justice Singh said: “We are conscious of the horrendous impact of the atrocity on the claimants and their families.

“Any reasonable person would have sympathy for them.

“The grief and trauma which they have suffered, particularly where young children were killed, is almost unimaginable.

“Nevertheless, we have reached the conclusion that, in all the circumstances, it would not be equitable to permit the claims to proceed.”