Salman Ramadan Abedi: The Manchester Arena Bombing (2017)

On the night of 22 May 2017, a suicide bomber struck the Manchester Arena at the end of an Ariana Grande pop concert, committing one of Britain’s most horrific terrorist acts.

The perpetrator was Salman Ramadan Abedi, a 22-year-old British-born man of Libyan descent. As thousands of young fans many of them children and teenagers streamed out of the arena, Abedi detonated an explosive device packed with shrapnel in the foyer.

The blast was devastating: 22 people were killed, the youngest just eight years old and over 800 were injured or deeply traumatised. The scene was one of chaos and grief, with parents frantically searching for missing kids amid the smoke.

This bombing remains Britain’s deadliest terror attack since 7/7, targeting a venue filled with innocent youth. ISIS quickly claimed responsibility, hailing Abedi as one of its “soldiers,” although no evidence has emerged that the group directed him from abroad authorities believe he was inspired by jihadist ideology and possibly assisted by family members.

Investigations revealed that Abedi had become radicalised and had travelled to Libya his parents’ homeland during its civil war, where he may have had contact with extremist militants.

Abedi was known to UK security services prior to the attack but tragically, the warnings were not acted upon in time. In the years before 2017, MI5 received at least two pieces of intelligence about Abedi that, in hindsight, were highly significant.

Reportedly, one was information that he was associating with a North African Islamist faction, and another that hinted at his bomb-making aspirations. In March 2023, the official public inquiry into the Manchester bombing delivered a damning assessment: MI5’s failure to act on those tips was a “significant missed opportunity” to possibly prevent the atrocity.

The inquiry chairman, Sir John Saunders, stated there was a “realistic possibility” the attack could have been foiled had MI5 pursued the intelligence more urgently. One Security Service officer admitted that, had the data come in today, it would prompt an immediate investigation.

The families of the victims, hearing this, described the findings as “devastating” and “unacceptable,” knowing that “at the very least, a real possibility of preventing this attack was lost.” The head of MI5 publicly apologised, acknowledging that the agency “did not prevent the attack” and “profoundly regrets” not stopping Abedi when they had the chance.

Aftermath: Abedi died in his suicide attack. Within days, police arrested his younger brother, Hashem Abedi, who had helped him stockpile materials; Hashem was later convicted of 22 counts of murder for assisting in the plot and was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 55 years.

The Manchester bombing sparked an outpouring of solidarity exemplified by the city’s slogan “Manchester Strong” and a benefit concert led by Ariana Grande but also soul-searching about how a local youth Abedi grew up in Manchester became a mass murderer.

It underscored the persistent threat of ISIS-inspired terrorism even as ISIS was losing territory in the Middle East. The UK government and intelligence agencies implemented reforms post-inquiry, aiming to improve the handling of intelligence “dots” so they are connected faster.

Still, for the families who lost daughters, sons, parents, and loved ones that night, the knowledge that the horror might have been averted is a painful burden. As one bereaved mother put it, “We send our kids to a concert and they don’t come home that should never have happened.” The Manchester Arena attack will be remembered as a tragedy that perhaps could have been prevented, and as a reminder of why vigilance against extremist violence must never wane.