Manchester attack: Trump condemns media leaks
The New York Times says this evidence was gathered at the scene of the attack
The New York Times says this evidence was gathered at the scene of the attack

[BBC] – US President Donald Trump has said leaks of the investigation into the Manchester attack to the US media are “deeply troubling”.

They were a “grave threat to our national security”, he added, and his administration would get to the bottom of it.

His remarks come after US media published photos from the scene of Monday night’s attack. Salman Abedi blew himself up, killing 22 adults and children.

Mr Trump, who is at the Nato summit in Brussels with UK Prime Minister Theresa May, said: “These leaks have been going on for a long time.

“I am 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 US and the UK.”

Earlier, the top US diplomat in the UK Lewis Lukens condemned the leaks as “reprehensible” and told the BBC action would be taken to identify those responsible.

It comes as police described the eight arrests made since the bombing as significant and items seized in raids as “very important”.

On Wednesday, the New York Times outraged British police and government officials when it published photos appearing to show debris from the attack.

They included bloodstained fragments from the bomb and the backpack used to conceal it.

Greater Manchester Police were said to be “furious” and said they would stop sharing information with the US.

Its chief constable Ian Hopkins said the leak undermined the investigation and had distressed families “already suffering terribly with their loss”.

Cards, flowers and teddy bears were laid in the square

The New York Times newspaper has defended its decision to publish the pictures, saying they were “neither graphic nor disrespectful of victims”.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will make clear to US President Donald Trump that shared intelligence must remain secure at a NATO summit in Brussels.

UK officials believe that US law enforcement rather than the White House is the likely culprit for the leaks, BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera says.

In other developments:

  • Armed officers are to patrol trains nationwide for the first time
  • A possible suspicious package was declared safe after army bomb disposal experts were called to a street in Hulme, near Manchester city centre
  • UKIP’s Suzanne Evans said Theresa May had to take “some responsibility” for the Manchester bombing
  • Manchester City and Manchester United have jointly pledged £1m to an emergency fund set up to support the victimsMeanwhile, the Queen has been to the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital to meet some of the injured, and members of the emergency services.

    During her visit, she paid tribute to Manchester and the “extraordinary” way the city had responded to the attack.

    Abedi detonated his “nuts-and-bolts” bomb at the end of an Ariana Grande gig as children, teenagers and others were making their way out of Manchester Arena’s auditorium.

    Others, including parents, were waiting in the foyer to pick up family and friends when the bomb went off. The blast left 22 people dead, and 116 injured.

    Earlier, a minute’s silence fell over offices, public squares and in homes as people honoured the victims.

    In Manchester’s St Ann’s Square, a perfectly-observed silence was followed by applause, cheers and a spontaneous crowd rendition of the Oasis song Don’t Look Back in Anger.

    What’s happening with the investigation?

    Police believe Manchester-born suicide bomber Salman Abedi, from a family of Libyan origin, acted as part of a network.

    Whitehall sources say 22-year-old Abedi was among a “large pool of people whose risk was kept under review” by security services.

    The bomber’s older brother Ismail, 23, is among the eight men arrested. A woman was also arrested but has since been released.

    Raids involving controlled explosions have been carried out at flats in the city centre and at an address in the Moss Side area of Manchester.

    In the Libyan capital Tripoli, Abedi’s younger brother Hashem, 20, and their father, Ramadan, were held by special forces linked to the interior ministry.

    The latest victims to be named are Wendy Fawell, 50, from Otley, west Yorkshire and Eilidh MacLeod, a 14-year-old from Barra in the Outer Hebrides, and 19-year-old Courtney Boyle.

    The youngest known victim so far is eight-year-old Saffie Roussos.

    An off-duty Cheshire police officer Elaine McIver was also among the dead.

    Colleagues lay flowers in her memory, and tweeted: “We will not let evil win”.

    Of the 116 injured, 75 remain in hospital. Of those 23 are in critical care, five of them children.

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