What's happened
Judges ruled that families of Manchester Arena bombing victims waited too long to sue MI5 for human rights violations. The court acknowledged the tragedy's impact but deemed the claims inadmissible due to timing. Victims' representatives expressed disappointment over the ruling.
Why it matters
What the papers say
According to The Guardian, judges emphasized the 'horrendous impact of the atrocity' but ruled that the claims were brought too late. Justice Rabinder Singh stated, 'Any reasonable person would have sympathy for them,' yet concluded it would not be equitable to allow the claims to proceed. In contrast, the families' lawyers criticized MI5 for presenting an 'inaccurate picture' of its intelligence operations, arguing that the delays were largely due to the agency's actions. AP News reported that MI5's head, Ken McCallum, expressed regret over the agency's failure to prevent the attack, acknowledging the missed opportunities in handling intelligence regarding the bomber, Salman Abedi.
How we got here
The Manchester Arena bombing on May 22, 2017, killed 22 people and injured over 100. An inquiry revealed MI5's failure to act on crucial intelligence, leading to claims of human rights violations by the victims' families against the agency.
Common question
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