Manchester Arena attack: UK officials 'furious' over US leaks

Theresa May will confront Donald Trump over US leaks of crucial intelligence about the Manchester bombing when they meet at a NATO summit in Brussels.

Publicly, senior Government ministers have described the leaks to the US media as "irritating" and "disappointing" but privately there is fury in Whitehall.

After photos, apparently showing bloodstained fragments of the bomb, appeared in the New York Times, a Whitehall source said: "We are furious. This is completely unacceptable.

"These images leaked from inside the US system will be distressing for victims, their families and the wider public.

"The issue is being raised at every relevant level by the British authorities with their US counterparts."

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The leak of intelligence to the US media has also angered British anti-terror police chiefs. The National Counter Terrorism Policing organisation has accused the US authorities of a breach of trust.

"We greatly value the important relationships we have with our trusted intelligence, law enforcement and security partners around the world," a spokesperson told Sky News.

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"These relationships enable us to collaborate and share privileged and sensitive information that allows us to defeat terrorism and protect the public at home and abroad.

"When that trust is breached it undermines these relationships, and undermines our investigations and the confidence of victims, witnesses and their families.

"This damage is even greater when it involves unauthorised disclosure of potential evidence in the middle of a major counter terrorism investigation."

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Earlier, the Home Secretary Amber Rudd attacked the early release of Salman Abedi's name to the US media and said she had made "very clear" to her American counterparts that no further leaks should happen.

But later, after the leak of photos to the New York Times, the Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said, using very diplomatic language: "It's obviously disappointing.

"This is a very fast moving investigation involving our security services tracking down as rapidly as possible who the accomplices to this terrorist were, as it's unlikely he did this all on his own, and establishing very quickly whether he's part of a network and indeed if further attacks are planned.

"To do that you need to be able to absolutely focus on getting to the rest of this network - if it is a larger network - as quickly as possible and that's not helped by any premature release of some of the details."

Meanwhile, CCTV images apparently show Abedi moments after he bought the rucksack used in his deadly attack.

One picture appeared to show a sales tag hanging from the backpack.

The images were taken in Manchester's Arndale shopping centre at around 8pm last Friday, three days before the bombing.

A vivid blue flash of the rucksack's inner lining matches crime scene pictures published by the New York Times.

The issue of the leaks will be raised at the very highest level when the Prime Minister and the US President will meet to discuss, amongst other things, counter-terrorism.

According to senior Government officials, the PM will lead the discussions on counter-terrorism and call on NATO to show more resolve in the fight against terrorism.

"A strong capable and united NATO is at the heart of the security of each and every one of our nations.

"We must redouble our resolve to meet the threats to our shared society, whether from terrorism or from Russia."

After the Brussels meeting, the Prime Minister will fly to Sicily for more talks with President Trump and the other leaders of the G7 group of leading industrialised nations for their annual summit.

But she will return to Downing Street a day early, on Friday evening, to take charge of the response to the Manchester bomb attack.