Manchester Arena Inquiry: Plea for MI5 co-operation at secret hearings

The closed hearings will cover whether Salman Abedi could have been prevented from detonating the bomb

Families of those killed in the Manchester Arena bombing have told MI5 "please don't let us down" as inquiry evidence starts to be heard in private.

Closed hearings, where only the inquiry chairman, legal team and Home Office lawyers will be present, will take place over the next three weeks.

Bereaved families, their lawyers and the press and public will be excluded on national security grounds.

Victims' relatives have asked MI5 to "co-operate with the inquiry".

Twenty-two people were killed and hundreds more injured when Salman Abedi detonated a bomb at the end of an Ariana Grande concert on 22 May 2017.

The private hearings of the public inquiry into the atrocity will cover whether the security services and counter terrorism police could have prevented him from detonating the device.

Lawyer Kim Harrison, who represents some of the families, said they were "keen to make sure there's that balance between maintaining national security - which is appropriate in this situation - but making sure that there is enough openness to help them understand as much as they're able to about what happened and why".

Twenty-two people died in the bombing on 22 May 2017

The Manchester Arena Inquiry has been looking at what was known about Abedi before the attack.

Four MI5 witnesses will give evidence during the closed sessions.

One matter the closed hearings will cover concerns the failure of MI5 on two occasions to pass on "highly relevant" intelligence to counter-terrorism police in Manchester in the months before the bombing.

Families of the 22 people who were killed have been told as much information as possible will be released to them.

• Bomber's messages held 'for years' before attack

• Families say trailing Abedi would have led to bomb

• Error not to question arena bomber on return - MI5

Ms Harrison said the evidence was "vital for the families to understand what happened and why and crucially whether the events on the night could have been prevented".

She said the relatives "very much understand the need for the evidence to be held behind closed doors".

"They have lost loved ones in this terrorist atrocity, they do not want this to happen to any other family so they do understand the need for that," she said.

"However what they are keen for, is that anything that can be heard in open session is heard is open session and that anything that can be reported openly is reported openly."

She said as the families will not be able to be in the courtroom "their plea to MI5 is please co-operate with the inquiry, please answer those questions in an open and constructive and non-defensive manner and please don't let us down".

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