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Stop Leaking Our Secrets: UK Issues Stern Warning To US
UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd slammed US leaks on the investigation into the Manchester attack as “irritating” Wednesday and said she had made it clear that it “should not happen again.”
A string of details about Monday’s deadly attack at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena have emerged from US law enforcement sources before being released by British police or officials.
“The British police have been very clear that they want to control the flow of information in order to protect operational integrity, the element of surprise,” Rudd told BBC Radio 4’s “Today” program. “So it is irritating if it gets released from other sources and I have been very clear with our friends that that should not happen again.”
Asked if the leaks from US officials had compromised the ongoing investigation, Rudd said she “wouldn’t go that far.”
But, she added, “I can say that they are perfectly clear about the situation and that it shouldn’t happen again.”
Abedi is believed to have died in the powerful blast, though he has not yet been formally identified by the coroner, Manchester police said.
The US is one of Britain’s key intelligence partners. Both countries share sensitive information as part of the “Five Eyes” alliance, which also includes Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Details were quick to emerge from the US in the immediate aftermath of the bombing. For example, US officials told CNN that the attack appeared to be a suicide bombing and that a male at the scene had been identified as the
probable suicide bomber.
The US government has come under scrutiny over its handling of foreign intelligence in recent days following reports that US President Donald Trump shared top secret information originating from Israel during a White House meeting with senior Russian officials.
