The chief coroner overseeing inquests into the deaths of two men killed in an attack on a Manchester synagogue is to ask the government to hold a public inquiry instead. Judge Alexia Durran, chief coroner of England and Wales, stated she would write to Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood with the recommendation.
This decision follows concerns that some MI5 material related to the case could not be heard in open court due to national security issues. Inquests lack the mechanism for secret or private hearings, which would be necessary to fully investigate sensitive material.
Inquests were planned for Adrian Daulby, 53, and Melvin Cravitz, 66, who died after Jihad Al-Shamie, 35, attacked the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation synagogue last October. Lawyers for the government stated at a pre-inquest hearing on 4 September that releasing the MI5 material would harm national security.
Families of the victims have questioned the necessity of private hearings for MI5 material, given that authorities had publicly stated Al-Shamie was not known to security services.