UK Police to Stop Sharing Attack Information With US

Authorities are furious about leaks, insiders say
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 25, 2017 4:32 AM CDT
Updated May 25, 2017 6:21 AM CDT
UK Police to Stop Sharing Attack Information With US
This image made from a security camera video obtained by Sky News shows a man walking in Manchester's Arndale shopping center on Friday carrying a blue backpack with a sales tag still hanging off of it.   (Sky News Exclusive via AP)

Police in Britain, angered by repeated leaks of sensitive information, have decided to stop sharing information on the Manchester terrorist attack with American authorities. The decision came after photographs believed to show bomb debris appeared in a New York Times report, sources tell the BBC, which calls the step a "hugely significant" move that shows just how angry British authorities are about leaks that could hinder the investigation. Prime Minister Theresa May is expected to raise the issue with President Trump at a NATO meeting Thursday, though the leaks are believed to have come from US law enforcement agencies, not the White House. In other coverage:

  • The Times report that infuriated British police has photos of the remains of a backpack and a battery found at the scene, along with detailed analysis of the blast site. Analysts say the bomb, powerful enough to embed shrapnel in metal walls, appears to have been made with "forethought and care."

  • Two more men in Britain have been arrested in connection with the Monday night attack, bringing the number of people in custody to eight, including one woman, reports Reuters. Suicide bomber Salman Abedi's father and brother have been detained in Libya.
  • British authorities say the leaking of information provided under a long-standing cooperation deal is unacceptable. "These images from inside the American system are clearly distressing to victims, their families, and other members of the public," a government source tells the Guardian. "Protests have been lodged at every relevant level between the British authorities and our US counterparts."
  • Rep. Mike McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, says the device detonated at the end of an Ariana Grande concert shows a "level of sophistication" that suggests the involvement of foreign terror cells, the AP reports. "It looks like we're not dealing with a lone wolf situation. There's a network—a cell of ISIS-inspired terrorists," the Republican says.
  • Sky News reports that German intelligence services say Abedi was in the country around four days before the Manchester attack. Security camera footage obtained by Sky shows a man suspected to be Abedi in Manchester's Arndale shopping center on Friday with what may be the backpack used in the bombing.
  • One of the latest of the 22 victims to be identified is 14-year-old Eilidh MacLeod, who had traveled from the Scottish island of Barra to Manchester with her mother and a friend for the concert, the Telegraph reports. "Eilidh was vivacious and full of fun. She loved all music, whether it was listening to Ariana or playing the bagpipes with her pipe band," her family said in a statement.
(More Manchester stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X