United Kingdom police stop sharing info on Manchester attack with U.S. after leaks

Greater Manchester Police said late Wednesday that six men and one woman had been arrested in a series of counterterror raids across Manchester's sprawling suburbs.

Twenty-two people were killed and dozens were injured when a bomb went off at an Ariana Grande concert in the northern English city Monday night.

British police and security services are also upset that the name of British bomber Salman Abedi was apparently leaked by US officials and published while police in Britain were withholding the name for operational security.

British officials say that have receive assurances from USA authorities that confidential material will be protected.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said she wants to discuss leaks with Trump at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation summit in Brussels. Upon her arrival in Brussels, May said the U.S. -British defense and security partnership is built on trust.

The NYT described them as "law enforcement images" but did not make clear how they had been obtained.

"The issue is being raised at every relevant level by the British authorities with their USA counterparts".

David Videcette, a former Metropolitan Police detective who investigated the London attacks, told AFP that the jihadist group would have carefully chosen the target in Manchester.

On Wednesday afternoon, Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said the level of activity in the probe is "intense" and continuing "at pace".

"This is a leaky administration", he said.

And Trump called the allegations "deeply troubling", saying he's asked the Department of Justice to "launch a complete review of this matter". Hundreds of soldiers have replaced police protecting high-profile sites including Buckingham Palace and the Houses of Parliament in London.

"The public should remain vigilant", May said.

Around the country, many people fell silent and bowed their heads at 11 a.m. for a minute in tribute to the bombing victims.

In Manchester's St. Ann's Square, where a sea of floral tributes grows by the hour, a crowd sang "Don't Look Back in Anger" - a song by the Manchester band Oasis.

Queen Elizabeth II visited Royal Manchester Children's Hospital on Thursday to talk to some of the concert blast victims.

And the prime minister very tactfully signaled her displeasure.

She credited her dad's quick action in picking her up and tying off her wounds to stem the bleeding.

But she added: "Quite frankly, 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, 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". The National Health Service says 75 people have been admitted to eight hospitals, "including 23 patients now receiving critical care".

In Berlin, former U.S. President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel sent a message of solidarity to the Manchester bombing victims.

"This is the kind of information and the kind of photographs we and others have published countless times after terrorism attacks", said Dean Baquet, executive editor of the Times. The bomber himself died in the attack.

On Wednesday morning, Amber Rudd, Britain's home secretary, said the leaks in the USA media were "irritating" and should not happen again.

British officials, who have also had access to sensitive information regarding past US -focused investigations, are bound by the Official Secrets Act.

Investigators are also looking into the Abedi family's ties in Libya. Mohammed Fadl, a community leader, said the Abedi family is well known, but Salman did not attend many gatherings.

There have also been claims that authorities had been warned about concerns he was developing radical views.

Akram Ramadan said Salman Abedi had been banned from Manchester's Didsbury Mosque, one of the largest in the city.

Focus magazine, citing unnamed federal security sources, had earlier reported that British-born Abedi twice flew from a German airport in recent years and that he wasn't on any worldwide watch list.

Mr Abedi told the Associated Press his family "aren't the ones who blow up ourselves among innocents".

The bombing, which took place at the Manchester Arena indoor venue just after the end of a concert by US pop singer Ariana Grande, was the deadliest in Britain since July 2005, when 52 people were killed in attacks on London's transport network.