26 May, 2017
May has said she would "make clear" to the US President the need to keep intelligence secure, at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit in Brussels on Thursday, while Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has raised the issue with the US Ambassador to the UK.
US President Donald Trump today took up with alacrity a complaint by Britain about leaks of information on the Manchester bombing, wading into a controversy involving The New York Times that has been tormenting the White House with reports on other issues.
The BBC first reported that a decision was made to temporarily freeze disclosing details about the case with US authorities.
On Wednesday, Israel said it had altered information-sharing protocols with the USA after Trump passed on information from its informant, embedded in the Islamic State, to Russians, probably endangering the source's life. The Five Eyes is an intelligence-sharing group that includes the U.S., Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Mr Trump said: "The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to our national security".
Some of the clues suggesting Abedi was part of a wider terror network in Manchester have been revealed in leaked photos of the remnants of the bomb itself.
"We have had communications at the highest level of our government" about the leaks, Lukens said, according to the BBC.
An extraordinary row erupted between the United States and British authorities after a host of sensitive information was leaked to American news outlets in the wake of Monday's attack. "Potentially suspicious items were found at the address and a large cordon has been put in place as EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) make an assessment".
While Home Secretary Amber Rudd said he was on the radar of the intelligence service "up to a point", it was not clear how much attention officials had paid to his activities, where he was radicalized and whether authorities could have stopped him.
Mr Trump said USA justice officials would prosecute whoever was responsible for the leaks, which resulted in the publication of highly sensitive crime scene photos by the New York Times.
After meeting with Trump on Thursday at the EU, European Council president Donald Tusk said he and the USA president agreed on the need to combat terrorism but some differences loomed large.
Its chief constable Ian Hopkins said the leak undermined the investigation and had distressed families "already suffering terribly with their loss". A German security official told The Associated Press the report was accurate.
The bomber's older brother Ismail, 23, is among the eight men arrested.
Meanwhile, UK frustration at repeated leaks of sensitive information by USA agencies led to the suspension of co-operation between the police and law enforcement counterparts across the Atlantic.
The clash over leaks came as police announced "significant" arrests and said searches being conducted in the area have turned up crucial evidence in the probe. They say the leaks compromise their investigations by telling the people they're still hunting for what they know.
Abedi's father and brother were arrested by Libyan security forces Wednesday.
Queen Elizabeth II visited Royal Manchester Children's Hospital on Thursday to talk to some of the victims, their families and medical staff.
The latest victims to be named are Wendy Fawell, 50, from Otley, west Yorkshire and Eilidh MacLeod, a 14-year-old from Barra in the Outer Hebrides, and 19-year-old Courtney Boyle. The National Health Service said 75 people had been hospitalized.
"I think it's pretty disgusting", said Scott Lightfoot, a Manchester resident, speaking outside a train station in the city.
