An inquiry into the 2017 Manchester Arena suicide bombing, which targeted fans leaving an Ariana Grande concert, found that British intelligence failed to act on information that may have prevented the attack.
Retired John Saunders, who led the inquiry, announced on Thursday that an MI5 officer received intelligence on Abedi, but failed to act on it in a timely manner, stating that it was a “significant missed opportunity to take action that might have prevented the attack.”
Saunders concluded that information received in the months leading up to the bombing may have led authorities to arrest Abedi in the days before the attack when he returned from Libya, where he received explosives training by Islamic State affiliated militants. Abedi was also previously known by authorities for his extremist views, but was deemed a low threat risk and his case was closed.