LONDON: The head of Britain’s security services said on Thursday he was profoundly sorry his spies had missed a “significant” opportunity to prevent a deadly 2017 suicide bombing at the end of an Ariana Grande pop concert in Manchester.

Twenty-two people — the youngest aged eight — died and more than 200 were injured when a man detonated a homemade bomb at Manchester Arena in northern England as parents arrived to collect children following the US singer’s show.

John Saunders, the chairman of a public inquiry into the tragedy, said he could not say for certain the bombing could have been stopped, but “there was a realistic possibility that actionable intelligence could have been obtained, which might have led to action preventing the attack”.

He said the domestic MI5 spy agency, whose officers he questioned during private hearings, had failed to act swiftly enough.

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Saunders spoke after the publication of his third and final report into the bombing, the deadliest in Britain since the 2005 London transport suicide attacks.

Ken McCallum, MI5’s Director General, said he was “profoundly sorry” that his service had not prevented the attack.

Published in Dawn, March 3rd, 2023