UK reportedly stops sharing intelligence with US following Manchester attack leak

in #sick8 years ago (edited)

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) and British Prime Minister Theresa May (L) UK-US fallout on Manchester leaks likely to be mentioned to Trump .

President Donald Trump has threatened to prosecute the source of intelligence leaks to U.S. media after the U.K. warned it would stop sharing information with U.S. agencies.

The U.K. temporarily stopped intelligence sharing with the U.S. in relation to the Manchester terror attack, but lifted the ban several hours later.

"The alleged leaks coming out of government agencies are deeply troubling," Trump said in a statement released in Brussels on Thursday.

"I am asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter, and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

British officials were outraged when photos of debris from the attack were leaked and published in the New York Times, the BBC said on Thursday. The images vividly show part of the explosive device and jacket worn by the suicide bomber.

Though the Times did not disclose how it sourced the images, a senior U.S. law enforcement official authenticated the photos and said they had been provided to American investigators by British authorities.

Leaked information about the identity of the assailant – now confirmed as Salman Abedi - also emerged in U.S. media less than 24 hours after the attack against the U.K.'s wishes.

British Home Secretary Amber Rudd described the leaks as "irritating" and insisted that they "should not happen again."