Poor Security Led To Terrorist Attack In Manchester Arena In 2017 - Public Inquiry Report

Poor Security Led to Terrorist Attack in Manchester Arena in 2017 - Public Inquiry Report

LONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th June, 2021) Security arrangements were insufficient to prevent the terrorist attack in the Manchester Arena in 2017,� Hon. Sir John Saunders, the chairman of the public inquiry into the attack, said in the report published on Thursday.

"The security arrangements for the Manchester Arena (the Arena) should have prevented or minimised the devastating impact of the Attack. They failed to do so. There were a number of opportunities which were missed leading to this failure," the report said.

Salman Abedi, the terrorist, could have been repeatedly identified as a threat. If that had occurred, although Abedi would still have detonated the device, the death toll could be smaller, Saunders said.

The chairman added that the main lost opportunity was the case of witness Christopher Wild who reported to security employee Mohammed Agha his concerns over Abedi several minutes before the blast.

The security staffer, however, just responded that he already knew about him. Wild felt that he was "fobbed off."

Saunders also mentioned other mistakes, which led to the attack, including poor patrolling of the region, inadequate CCTV system at the arena that allows the perpetrator to move through "blind" zones.

In May 2017, the terrorist attack during Ariana Grande's concert in the Manchester Arena took the lives of 22 people, including 12 children. The Islamic State (terrorist group, banned in Russia) claimed the responsibility for the incident.