In a significant development, over 250 survivors of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing have taken legal action against MI5, the UK's domestic intelligence agency. The attack, carried out by Salman Abedi, claimed the lives of 22 people and injured 100 others during an Ariana Grande concert. The survivors' lawsuit alleges that MI5 failed to gather crucial intelligence that could have prevented the attack. Last year, MI5 director general Ken McCallum expressed regret over the intelligence lapse. An inquiry into the bombing revealed that MI5 had received information prior to the attack that, if properly assessed, could have potentially thwarted it. The survivors' legal claim has been submitted to the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, an independent body responsible for investigating complaints against public authorities and intelligence services. [c02b503f]
In a separate case, the security services have been granted the right to neither confirm nor deny whether a man who attacked his girlfriend with a machete was an MI5 agent. The man, known as X for legal reasons, was the subject of a BBC News investigation in 2022, which established through multiple sources that he was an MI5 agent. His ex-partner, Beth, filed a complaint with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal (IPT) to investigate MI5's recruitment and handling of X. However, MI5 has consistently refused to publicly confirm or deny whether X was an agent. The IPT has ruled in favor of MI5, stating that the principle of neither confirming nor denying an agent's status is fundamental and consistent. The full trial for Beth's complaint is scheduled for January 2025. [7e829859]