Manchester Arena bombing: the MI5, MI6, and NATO backstory detailed

An image of MI6 headquarters
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MI5 (Military Intelligence, Section 5) has drawn fierce criticism for its actions which led to the Manchester Arena bombing. The attack resulted in the deaths of 22 people, with many more injured. MI5 now stands accused of neglecting to follow up on intelligence regarding Salman Abedi, the bomber, when he returned from Libya to the UK.

However, that’s not the whole story.

MI5 facilitated jihadists

The Manchester Arena bombing inquiry’s final report argued that MI5 failed to prevent the tragedy. However, it’s probably more accurate to say that the Security Service facilitated the jihadists.

For example, in 2011, British citizen Belal Younis was stopped and questioned on his return to the UK from Libya. He claimed an MI5 officer told him:

the British government have no problem with people fighting against [then Libyan leader Muammar] Gaddafi.

On another trip to Libya he was again questioned by two counter-terrorism police officers. However, they allowed him to proceed after he gave them the name of the MI5 officer who’d previously questioned him. He claimed that while waiting to board the plane he received a phone call from that officer saying he’d “sorted it out”.

One Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) fighter told Middle East Eye that MI5 returned their passports, and also that Heathrow Airport counter-terrorism police were told to let them board their flights.

Read on...

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There were also claims that MI5 allowed Abedi and others linked to the LIFG to travel unhindered between Libya and the UK. This was described by Middle East Eye as an ‘open door’ policy.

Indeed, on 18 May 2017, Salman Abedi re-entered the UK via Manchester airport. In the final report, Inquiry chair John Saunders argued that MI5 chose not to follow Abedi. Had they done so, they would have come upon the parked car that contained the explosive. Saunders commented that “the attack might have been prevented” if the check had taken place.

Manchester Arena bombing: NATO’s role

The backstory to this tragedy is not just about the role of MI5. It’s also about the active assistance that the NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) military alliance provided the Libyan jihadists.

For example, Declassified UK reported that the jihadists were trained and covertly supported by NATO. They formed part of the offensive against Libyan leader colonel Muammar Gaddafi. SAS (Special Air Service) operatives based in Egypt provided further training.

The UK also organised the supply of arms to the jihadists. Indeed, a report by the private geopolitical intelligence agency Stratfor – published by WikiLeaks – stated that NATO “served as the de facto rebel air force” during the push into the Libyan capital.

In another Declassified UK article, it was reported that Ramadan Abedi and his three sons – Salman, Ismail, and Hashem – fought alongside NATO. Clearly the alliance had no problem exploiting jihadists when considered convenient. It is also noteworthy that Salman and Hashem were among those evacuated by the Royal Navy when the anti-Gaddafi forces got into difficulty.

MI6’s destabilising role

Then there’s the destabilising role played by Britain’s spy agency, the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6).

According to former MI5 staffer Annie Machon, MI6 representative David Watson provided $40,000 to an LIFG contact codenamed ‘Tunworth’. A leaked CX (MI6) document dated 4 December 1995 provided details of a plot to assassinate Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Explanatory notes to that document suggested that the permanent under-secretary’s department, GCHQ (General Communications Headquartes), MI5, the Ministry of Defence, and MI6 stations in Tunis, Cairo, and Washington knew about the plot.

Under Tony Blair, UK foreign policy regarding Gaddafi was generally supportive. For example, in March 2004 the UK played a role in the rendition of LIFG leader Abdel Hakim Belhadj. Libyan intelligence subsequently tortured him. Several documents discovered by Human Rights Watch showed the extent to which MI6 intervened in Libyan affairs.

David Cameron went on to reverse Blair’s policy, instead providing support to rebel forces – such as the LIFG. In 2018, secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs Alistair Burt admitted to parliament that the UK had been “in communication” with rebel groups in Libya. That included the LIFG:

Parliament question regarding LIFG

Unforgiven

Caroline Curry, who lost her 19-year-old son Liam in the Arena bombing, said after the inquiry published its final report:

Forgiveness will never be an option for such evil intentions and those that played any part in the murder of our children will never ever get forgiveness from top to bottom, MI5 to the associates of the attackers. We will always believe that you all played a part in the murder of our children.

However, it’s not just MI5 that had a role in the tragedy, but also the reckless interventions in Libya by NATO and MI6. Indeed, journalists Mark Curtis and Nafeez Ahmed argued that the Manchester bombing was “blowback” for the UK’s foreign policy, saying:

While a number of factors operate to contribute to an individual’s radicalisation, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that one of these contributory factors is British direct and covert action in Iraq, Libya and Syria. Without these actions – by Britain and its close allies – it is conceivable that [Salman] Abedi might well not have had the opportunity to become radicalised in the way he did.

Meanwhile, the families of the victims of the Manchester Arena bombing demand to know far more than what has been provided by the inquiry.

Featured image via Wikimedia / Paul Buckingham 770×403 pixels cropped

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  • Show Comments
    1. Same thing is now happening in Ukraine, only on a much larger scale. This time mercenaries returning are likely to have been radicalised by the far right and Ukraine is swimming in unregistered weapons, explosives and money. There is reported to be several thousand Brits fighting in Ukraine, ranging from special forces through ex army to Nazi supporters and no one, including The Canary, has anything to say about it.
      Shameful.

    2. In the weeks leading up to the bombing, the Tory May regime was floudering in the polls, Jeremy’s decency was “Winning Hearts and Minds” at a rate the Establishment found deeply worrying.

      At this point, his “anti-semitism” had not yet been discovered by the “free press” & BBC.

      The UK Deep State had these handy AQ “Jihadists” on call, and the Tories figured a new Terror Scare/’Law-n-Order Psyop’ was just the ticket to undermine Jezza.

      Worth recalling the UK Judge who investigated The Troubles was shocked to discover that >95% of “pIRA members” had direct contact with UK Intel services, many working as double-agents, if not actual embedded UK agents, and that it is LIKELY that the “unsolved” attacks, incl those Irish banged up on stitched up trials, were committed by entirely British agents who could not be outed.

      And that 7/7 under B’Liar was intended to divert attention from the TOTAL failure of Gleneagles to positively address 3rd World debt-slavery, and to further promote his CIA handlers wanted “Wars of Terror’ narratives.

      Yes, this IS bipartisan.

      I have little doubt Fuhrer Starmertrooper will crack down upon musings like this. And indeed, excellent articles like the one above.

      Boismalet: Mallet has TWO Ls, you illiterate fash troll. I suppose that’s why you have a swastica tattoo – at least you don’t have to spell anything.

      Well said Linda!

      Curtis and Ahmed are too uncritically soft-minded for their own good. “Blowback” indeed. >_< The self-same narrative of every Liberal apologist for the 9/11 false flags too. Do these "wise" folk NEVER ponder that Fascism is NOT geographically located, and CANNOT, and was not, "defeated in WW2"? Fascists behave as fascists behave, and a domestic terror attack (Or two or three), is right up their street?

      "Useful Idiots. Not just for Xmas, and not just for Stalin.".

      Great article Joe. Worth every penny.

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