Manchester Attack; British Police Halt Information Sharing with US Security Agencies
Following the disclosure of classified information and the publication of secret photographs related to the scene of Monday night’s explosion at Manchester concert hall, British police have halted information sharing with US security agencies.
British police had condemned the disclosure of information and publication of photographs in The New York Times.
British officials say the publication of this information has damaged police investigations and undermined their confidence in US security agencies.
Theresa May, British Prime Minister, is scheduled to meet with Donald Trump, US President, on Thursday on the sidelines of the NATO leaders’ summit in Brussels, to air her complaints and concerns with him.
The disclosed images show bloodied bomb fragments from an explosion that killed 22 people at the “Manchester Arena” concert hall.
These images, published in The New York Times, include a battery, suspected explosive material, and bomb shrapnel fragments.
The New York Times wrote that these images show that the bomb in question was relatively sophisticated.
Previously, the publication of information related to the attacker in American media had prompted a protest from Britain’s Home Secretary. He had warned that information leaks should not be repeated.
Search for Bomb-Making Workshop
Manchester police say that in the course of their investigations and searches regarding Monday night’s attack, they were forced to carry out another controlled explosion at a location in the city.
Currently, six people are in custody in connection with these investigations, but a woman who was previously detained has now been released.
Police believe that a network had supported Salman Abedi, the Manchester suicide bomber.
Security organizations have concluded that Abedi did not make the bomb himself and are searching for a suspected workshop where the bomb was made.
Abedi’s father and brother were detained in Libya on Wednesday.
Source: BBC
