Manchester Arena inquiry begins

More than three years after 22 people died at the Manchester Arena following an Ariana Grande concert, the public inquiry into the terror attack is set to begin.

On 22 May 2017, Salman Abedi set off a bomb as people left the concert, killing himself and 22 others.

The trial, being held at Manchester Magistrates' Court, was due to start in June but was delayed by the trial of Abedi's brother Hashem, who was jailed for at least 55 years for 22 murders on 20 August.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has said that it is ‘vital that those who survived or lost loved ones... get the answers that they need and that we learn the lessons, whatever they may be’.

The inquiry, which will be chaired by Sir John Saunders, will ‘explore the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the terror attack’, seeking to investigate whether the attack could have been prevented, the security arrangements around the arena, the emergency response to the bombing and the radicalisation of Salman Abedi.