Bomb probe police find ‘important’ items as anger grows at US leaks
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SEARCHES of houses across Manchester have uncovered important items for the investigation into the concert bombing that left 22 people dead, the city’s police chief said yesterday.
Information may not be shared with the United States after a British official said police had decided not to share further information about the investigation due to leaks blamed on US officials.
Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said that the eight suspects detained so far were “significant” arrests and said the searches will take several more days to complete. Police have swooped in on multiple addresses in the northwest of England city since Tuesday and those arrested include bomber Salman Abedi’s brother Ismail.
Hopkins did not elaborate on the material that has been found so far.
Prime Minister Theresa May said she plans to discuss the leaks with President Donald Trump at a NATO summit in Brussels. She said she will “make clear to President Trump that intelligence that is shared between our law enforcement agencies must remain secure.”
Trump yesterday vowed to crack down on the leaks.
Saying there is “no relationship we cherish more” than the one with the UK, he declared the leaks “deeply troubling” and said he was asking the Justice Department to lead an investigation into the matter.
“These leaks have been going on for a long time and my administration will get to the bottom of this,” Trump said in a written statement. “The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to our national security.”
British officials are particularly angry that photographs detailing evidence about the bomb used in the attack were published in The New York Times.
British police and security services were also upset that Abedi’s name was apparently leaked by US officials and published while British police were withholding it — and while raids were underway in Manchester and in Libya, where the bomber’s father lives.
A British official told reporters police in Manchester had decided to stop sharing information until they get a guarantee there will be no more leaks.
The New York Times defended its publication of photographs of evidence collected at the crime scene.
“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 paper said. “We have strict guidelines on how and in what ways we cover sensitive stories. Our coverage of Monday’s horrific attack has been both comprehensive and responsible.”
Earlier, Greater Manchester Police condemned the leaks on behalf of the National Counter-Terrorism Policing units in a statement that suggested a severe rupture in trust between Britain and the United States.
“When the trust is breached it undermines these relationships, and undermines our investigations and the confidence of victims, witnesses and their family,” the statement said. “This damage is even greater when it involves unauthorized disclosure of potential evidence in the middle of a major counter terrorism investigation.”
May said yesterday progress is being made in the investigation but said the national threat level remains critical.
Soldiers at tourist sites
“The public should remain vigilant,” May said, speaking after a meeting of the government’s crisis committee.
As hundreds of British soldiers protected some of the world’s most visited tourist sites in London and elsewhere, police are trying to uncover the network that is thought to have helped Abedi in the deadly attack at the Ariana Grande concert.
Grande has cancelled concerts due to take place in London, and in several other sites in Europe.
At 11am yesterday, many across Britain fell silent and bowed their heads for a minute in tribute to the victims of the bombing. Crowds gathered at sites including London’s Parliament and Trafalgar Square, and Manchester’s Albert Square.
In one of the more touching moments, a crowd in Manchester then joined a woman singing the Oasis song “Don’t Look Back in Anger.”
Queen Elizabeth II, meanwhile, visited Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital to talk to some of the bombing victims, their families and the medical staff treating them.
“It’s dreadful. Very wicked, to target that sort of thing,” the 91-year-old monarch told 14-year-old Evie Mills and her parents.
She also chatted and shook hands with hospital staff and told the father of another injured teenager: “It’s not something you expect at all.”
In addition to those killed, 116 people received medical treatment in Manchester hospitals for their wounds. The National Health Service said 75 people had been admitted to eight hospitals.
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