U.S. President Donald Trump walks beside Belgium’s Prime Minister Charles Michel (R) upon arriving at the Brussels Airport, in Brussels, Belgium, May 24, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)
President Donald J. Trump reassured British Prime Minister Theresa May that his administration will get to the bottom of leaks damaging U.S.-U.K. relations. The United Kingdom (UK) has temporarily stopped sharing intelligence with United States (US) officials after illegal leaks to The New York Times made public information on the Manchester bomber.
“My Administration will get to the bottom of this. The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to national security,” President Trump said in a statement. “I’m asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter and, if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The Times report, which was published before it was clear those details wouldn’t jeopardize the investigation, infuriated Prime Minister May and U.K. intelligence officials. Salman Abedi, 22, conducted a suicide bombing attack over the weekend that killed 22 and injured dozens of other women, young girls and children. His father and younger brother have also been arrested in Libya, both with alleged ties to ISIS and a former Al Qaeda-backed group.
Abedi’s parents were both born in Libya, but emigrated to London before moving to the Fallowfield area of south Manchester, where they have lived for at least ten years. They reportedly fled to escape Muammar Gaddafi as refugees to the United Kingdom, and Salman had recently traveled back to Britain from Libya, where officials believed he was radicalized.
President Trump’s Full Statement:
The alleged leaks coming out of government agencies are deeply troubling. These leaks have been going on for a long time. My Administration will get to the bottom of this. The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to national security. I’m asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter and, if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There is no relationship we cherish more than the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.
