British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks about the suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena outside 10 Downing Street in London, May 23, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)
The United Kingdom has stopped sharing intelligence with U.S. officials after illegal leaks to The New York Times made public information on the Manchester bomber. British Prime Minister Theresa May will give President Donald J. Trump an earful over the unauthorized leaks by an out-of-control intelligence community that have sought to damage him at home.
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.
The British are furious that information on the bomber and the investigation were leaked by U.S. officials before it was clear those details wouldn’t jeopardize the investigation.
The decision by the British government is temporary, but significant considering the reporting by The New York Times and The Washington Post claiming information disclosed by the President to the Russians hurt U.S.-Israeli relations.
A “bombshell” Washington Post story, which provoked the paper to erupt in celebration, claimed President Trump shared “highly sensitive classified information” with the Russians, insinuating he endangering sources, methods and angered the source nation that gathered the intelligence.
That nation turned out to be Israel and The Washington Post and others turned out to be the one who exposed that information. Several officials told PPD–and other outlets have confirmed–that President Trump wasn’t even aware of the source nation at the time. Those sources have been corroborated by reports from other outlets.
Israeli officials said the country has an intelligence sharing with Russia and the disclosure of information would not and did not jeopardize relations.
Meanwhile, People’s Pundit Daily also reported the identity of the Manchester bomber and, while we protect our sources, we can say that the information did not come from the Trump Administration. With leaks aimed at politically undermining the President, it’s unclear what he can do to appease Prime Minister May other than ensure he will continue to pursue leakers.
UPDATE: President Trump issued a 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.
