Review: UK concert attack might have been stopped

LONDON — The deadly suicide bombing at Manchester Arena might have been prevented if information had been handled differently, an independent review of the counterterrorism performance by British police and intelligence services suggested Tuesday.

The review by lawyer David Anderson, ordered by Home Secretary Amber Rudd, said the May 22 attack that killed 22 people might have been thwarted “had the cards fallen differently.”

He also found that three extremists involved in four attacks in Britain earlier this year had at some point been investigated by counterterrorism police or security services.

Nonetheless, he credits police and the MI5 domestic intelligence service with stopping most attacks at a time when Britain faces an unprecedented level of extremist activity.

“MI5 and counterterrorism policing got a great deal right — particularly in the case of Manchester, they could have succeeded had the cards fallen differently,” Anderson said.

Some of the details had been known before, but Anderson raised the tantalizing prospect that MI5 might have been able to prevent the most lethal atrocity — the concert attack — had it handled information differently.

Greater Manchester Police Chief Ian Hopkins, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick and other officials said they welcomed Anderson’s report.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, however, said major funding cuts to London police imposed by the central government must be addressed.

“The government must urgently agree to real terms increases in police funding over the coming years if we are to maintain officer numbers and keep the public safe,” Khan said.