Bereaved families of the Manchester Arena bombing victims are spearheading a campaign for radical transparency, demanding the inclusion of MI5 in a proposed UK law against institutional cover-ups. This urgent call for accountability follows devastating inquiry findings that highlight MI5’s missed opportunities to prevent the 2017 attack, fueling public distrust and underscoring a critical need for legislative change within the nation’s intelligence apparatus.
Story Highlights
- Bereaved families demand MI5 inclusion in cover-up law following intelligence failures.
- MI5’s missed opportunities in preventing the 2017 Manchester bombing are under scrutiny.
- Inquiry findings suggest the attack could have been thwarted with better intelligence sharing.
- MI5 maintains no others were knowingly involved, sparking public distrust.
Families Demand Accountability
The bereaved families of the Manchester Arena bombing victims are calling for MI5 to be fully included under a proposed UK law aimed at preventing institutional cover-ups. This demand follows inquiry findings that MI5’s handling of intelligence on bomber Salman Abedi represented missed opportunities to prevent the attack. The bombing, which occurred on May 22, 2017, resulted in 22 fatalities and over 1,000 injuries.
The inquiry, led by Sir John Saunders, revealed that there were over 20 instances where Abedi was on MI5’s radar, yet the intelligence was not adequately shared with local police forces. This lack of communication and proper action has drawn significant criticism from the victims’ families, who are now advocating for legislative changes to ensure such oversights do not occur again.
MI5 “failed us” and must be fully included in new law on cover-ups in public life, Manchester Arena families say https://t.co/VVXF63o78V
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) January 5, 2026
Inquiry Findings and MI5’s Response
According to the inquiry, MI5 had multiple opportunities to act on the intelligence they received about Salman Abedi. Despite being flagged for priority review in March 2017, a meeting to discuss his case was scheduled only after the attack had occurred. The inquiry’s findings indicated that if MI5 had interpreted the intelligence differently, the attack might have been preventable.
MI5 has since issued an apology, acknowledging their slow response but maintaining that no one else was knowingly involved in the plot. This assertion stands in contrast to the inquiry’s findings, which suggest that others may have been complicit, leading to further public distrust in the agency’s transparency and accountability.
The Path Forward
The families’ campaign for MI5’s inclusion in the proposed cover-up law is part of a broader effort to ensure greater accountability and transparency within intelligence agencies. The proposed legislation aims to prevent future intelligence failures by promoting more open communication between agencies and the public.
As discussions around the proposed law continue, it remains to be seen how the UK government will address these concerns. The outcome of this legislative effort will likely have significant implications for the future operation and oversight of MI5 and other intelligence agencies.
Watch the report: Manchester Arena attack cover-up | Public inquiry (Granada Reports)
Sources:
- Manchester Arena families say MI5 must be fully included in new law on cover-ups
- Families affected by Manchester Arena attack say MI5 must be more open to scrutiny
- Families affected by Manchester Arena bombing say ‘MI5 can’t be trusted’ | ITV News
- MI5 ‘can’t be trusted to tell the truth’, say families of Manchester Arena attack victims | The National
- MI5 should be held responsible for Manchester Arena attack, victims’ families say
