MI5 Director General, Ken McCallum speaking in Manchester, following the publication of the third and final report from a public inquiry into the Manchester Arena bombing, March 2, 2023
JUDGES have blocked a legal action against security service MI5 brought by more than 300 people affected in the Manchester Arena bombing.
The attack, at an Ariana Grande concert on May 22 2017, killed 22 people and injured 1,017, with the victims being mainly children and young people.
Survivors and relatives of the bereaved went to court, claiming that MI5 had received information before the attack and could have prevented it.
The claims were based on infringement of the victims’ human rights.
But judges at an Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) have ruled the legal action was brought too late to proceed because the claimants had waited until 2023 for the completion of an inquiry into the crime before filing their claims.
Lord Justice Singh said that while the judges were “particularly conscious of the importance of the rights concerned … it would not be equitable to permit the claims to proceed.”
Lawyers for the claimants said the ruling was “extremely disappointing for our clients.”
