Bombing at Ariana Grande's Manchester Concert Could Have Been Stopped, New Study Finds

A new report is shedding light on the Manchester bombing.

In 2017, Ariana Grande performed a concert in the U.K. city. While fans were leaving the arena, a bomber killed 22 people and injured more than 500 other people.

Billboard writes that according to a 200-page report about the attack, “there were a number of missed opportunities to alter the course of what happened that night” and “more should have been done” by police and security to prevent the bombing.

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The probe states that police should have identified bomber Salman Abedi as a potential threat on the night of the attack.

John Saunders, who helmed the inquiry, said that it is likely that the bomber would have still detonated his device, “but the loss of life and injury is highly likely to have been less.”

The report also found that security company Showsec, arena operators SMG and the British Transport Police were “principally responsible” for missed opportunities to prevent or diminish the “devastating impact of the attack.”

John Saunders added that the most notable missed opportunity was the failure of a teenage security guard to follow up after a member of the public voiced their concerns to him about Abedi.

Additionally, another security guard, who was also a teenager, attempted to use his radio to share his concerns about Abedi but could not get through.

The inquiry also took issue with SMG’s “inadequate” security system, which allowed Abedi hid for an hour in a blind spot, as well as the failure of Showsec staff to lead a “adequate security patrol” in the 30 minutes prior to the attack.

“It is implicit in the findings that I have made that both SMG and Showsec failed to take steps to improve security at the Arena that they should have taken,” Saunders said.

While four British Transport Police officers were on duty that night, none of them were present in the foyer at the time of the attack and two took a two-hour meal break.

The national terror threat level in the U.K. was severe at the time of the bombing, meaning an attack was very likely.

The report, which is the first of three that will be produced by the public inquiry, also makes a number of suggestions for how to improve security at concert venues. One recommendation is the introduction of a new “protect duty” law, would make venue operators legally obligated to make sure they’re prepared in the event of terrorist attack.

Ariana shared a touching message in honor of the 4th anniversary of the attacks a few weeks ago.