26 May, 2017
British police stopped sharing information about the suicide bombing with the United States, a British counter-terrorism source told Reuters after police chiefs said the leaks to media risked hindering their investigation.
LONDON/MANCHESTER, May 25 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Thursday she would tell U.S. President Donald Trump that intelligence shared between their two countries had to remain secure after leaks to U.S. media about the Manchester attack.
Britain's terror threat assessment has been hiked to "critical", the highest level, meaning an attack is considered imminent.
May said around 1 000 soldiers were assisting police "providing important reassurance ahead of a bank holiday weekend of busy events".
"We have heard the message loud and clear from Her Majesty's government and we agree with their concerns and we're determined to take action", Lukens said.
"There is no relationship we cherish more than the special relationship between the U.S. and the United Kingdom", he added.
Trump called for an investigation and said the leaker should be prosecuted.
Police are holding eight people in custody in connection with the attack, which killed 22 people, and Manchester's Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said the arrests were significant.
Abidi's older brother is among those arrested in England.
A Turkish official said Abedi had transited through Istanbul's Ataturk airport "recently" and did not enter Turkey.
The British decision to halt sharing information with counterparts in the United States comes after a series of revelations about the case that first surfaced in US media including USA TODAY, such as the name of the suicide bomber, Salman Abedi.
"I will make clear to President Trump that intelligence that is shared between our law enforcement agencies must remain secure", May said before departing for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit.
Professor Bob Pearson, Medical Director of Central Manchester Hospitals Trust said 32 patients remained at the Manchester Royal Infirmary, including five children and five adults in critical care.
As the nation mourned, Queen Elizabeth II visited children injured in the attack at a hospital in the northwestern English city.
The last unidentified victim is an off-duty police officer from Cheshire whose husband and children were critically injured in the bombing.
In a written statement Thursday, Trump called recent leaks "deeply troubling".
But Trump critics, including some US intelligence officials, call his complaint ironic after he gave highly sensitive information about a foreign country's covert operation against Islamic State to senior Russian officials in a White House meeting this month.
Britain routinely shares intelligence with the United States bilaterally, and also as part of the "Five Eyes" network which also includes Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
Images obtained by The New York Times newspaper showed a detonator Abedi was said to have carried in his left hand, shrapnel including nuts and screws and the shredded remains of a blue backpack.
"The images and information presented were neither graphic nor disrespectful of victims, and consistent with the common line of reporting on weapons used in horrific crimes", the USA daily said.
"Our coverage of Monday's horrific attack has been both comprehensive and responsible", the newspaper said.
