The Latest on the investigation into the Manchester concert bombing (all times local) :
MANCHESTER, England (AP) – The Latest on the investigation into the Manchester concert bombing (all times local) : 10: 55 p.m. British police say they have resumed sharing intelligence about the Manchester bombing with U. S. counterparts. Britain had halted the exchange of information after details of the Manchester investigation – including forensic crime-scene photos – appeared in U. S. media. The disclosure infuriated British officials, and Prime Minister Theresa May brought up the leaks with President Donald Trump at the NATO summit Thursday. Mark Rowley is Britain’s top counterterrorism officer and announced the resumption of intelligence-sharing late Thursday. Rowley says that “having received fresh assurances, we are now working closely with our key partners around the world including all those in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance.” The Five Eyes is an intelligence-sharing group that includes the U. S., Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. ___ 8: 50 p.m. A relative of the man suspected in the deadly Manchester concert attack says he was driven to extremism after seeing a friend fatally stabbed last year. The relative spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter and concerns for her own security. She said 22-year-old Salman Abedi complained of being treated badly in Britain and was troubled why there seemed to be no outrage over his friend’s slaying. She says Abedi believed it was because the friend was Muslim. The relative says Abedi, who was born in England to parents from Libya, referred to Britons as “infidels” who “are unjust to the Arabs.” She also defended him as “a great kid” and said he had no links to the Islamic State group or other militant groups. Abedi died in the blast that killed 22 other people. -By Maggie Michael ___ 6: 42 p.m. Prime Minister Theresa May has raised her concerns over alleged intelligence leaks from the Manchester bombing investigation with U. S. President Donald Trump. A British official confirms that May discussed the matter with Trump after they posed with other NATO leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday. The official, who spoke on customary anonymity, did not provide details. The U. S. and British leaders talked again later, sitting next to each other at a working dinner. May looked stern, while Trump waved his hands. Manchester police stopped providing information to the United States about the Monday concert bombing after photos of the crime scene appeared in the New York Times, though it was not clear where the photos came from. May said earlier Thursday that she would stress to Trump “that intelligence that is shared between law enforcement agencies must remain secure.” – By Angela Charlton and Sylvia Hui ___ 6: 35 p.m. A spokesman for an anti-terror force in Libya says the suspect in the Manchester bombing attack telephoned his mother hours before the attack and said, “Forgive me.” Special Deterrent Force spokesman Ahmed bin Salem said Thursday that 22-year-old Salman Abedi’s mother and three of his siblings in Libya were summoned for questioning. Abedi died in the attack. Bin Salem says the mother told interrogators that her son left Libya for England only four days before the bombing and called her on the same day of the attack. Bin Salem said: “He was giving farewell.” Another sibling, 18-year-old brother Hashim, and Abedi’s father were arrested in Tripoli on Wednesday. Bin Salem said Libyan investigators think, based on what Hashim Abedi told them, “the bomber acted alone.” He says the brother told them that Salman learned how to make explosives on the internet and wanted to “seek victory for the Islamic State.” ___ 5: 55 p.m. Libya’s U. N.-backed government says it is working with British authorities to identify the “terrorist networks” behind the Manchester concert bombing. Interior Ministry Undersecretary Col. Abdulsalam Ashour condemned the attack on Thursday and said the Tripoli-based government’s anti-terror force is investigating. British officials have said the attack was by British-born Salman Abedi, 22, whose family is from Libya. Abedi’s father and younger brother were arrested in Tripoli on Wednesday. Before his arrest, the father told The Associated Press that his son was innocent. A statement from Libya’s Special Deterrent Forces claims the brother told investigators both he and Salman belonged to the Islamic State group. The Monday night bombing killed 22 people. Abedi died in the attack. ___ 5: 40 p.m. U. S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is making a snap visit to London on Friday to show America’s support for Britain after the Manchester bomb attack that killed 22 people. The trip comes as police and government officials in England have been angrily denouncing alleged leaks to U. S. media outlets of information from the attack investigation. The alleged leaks led British authorities to suspend some information sharing with the U. S. on Thursday. Britain’s Foreign Office said Thursday that Tillerson and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will hold talks and write messages of condolence for the victims. The Foreign Office says they plan to make brief statements to the press. Tillerson does not plan to be accompanied by any journalists on the brief visit, after which he will return to Washington. ___ 4: 00 p.m. British Transport Police says armed officers will patrol some U. K. trains for the first time because of the increased threat of extremist attacks. The patrols will begin Thursday afternoon. Officials say the plan is to “ensure that the travelling public are kept safe on the rail network.” Armed officers have patrolled London Underground subway trains since December, but the move announced Thursday expands the security measure to train services elsewhere in the country. British Transport Police Chief Constable Paul Crowther says the force has “radically increased” its presence since the Monday night attack in Manchester. ___ 3: 55 p.m. A Turkish official says the 22-year-old man suspected of bombing concertgoers in Manchester traveled through Istanbul and Dusseldorf, Germany on his way to Britain days before the attack. The government official said Thursday that Salman Abedi flew into Istanbul on May 18 and later departed for Dusseldorf. The official would not say which country Abedi had arrived from. The official said however, that the attacker had on several occasions in the past used Istanbul as a transit for flights between Libya and Europe. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of government rules that bar civil servants from speaking to reporters without prior authorization. – by Suzan Fraser ___ 3: 45 p.m. Universal Pictures has scrapped plans for the London premiere of Tom Cruise’s “The Mummy, ” the latest big, glitzy event canceled following the Manchester attack. In a statement, the studio says it was “devastated” by Monday attack’s at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester: “Out of respect to those affected by this tragedy we have decided not to move forward with the London premiere.” That move comes a day after Warner Bros. scrapped its London premiere of “Wonder Woman” on May 31. Stars Gal Gadot, Chris Pine and Robin Wright had been scheduled to walk a red carpet. Bands like Blondie and Take That canceled shows in the immediate aftermath of the bombing, and Netflix scrapped a few screenings. Grande’s concerts through June 5 have been canceled. ___ 3: 20 p.m. Former President Barack Obama has appeared in a video alongside German Chancellor Merkel and the Archbishop of Canterbury condemning the deadly attack on a concert in Manchester. Obama is in Berlin for a religious conference. He said in the video, posted Thursday by Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert, that “I’m heartbroken by the extraordinary tragedy that’s occurred in Manchester.” He said that, “To all the families who have been affected, to those who lost loved ones: it’s unimaginable to think about the cruelty, the violence the city of Manchester has suffered.” Merkel said that the thoughts of all Germans are “with you in Manchester after you had to go through this horrible incident.” She said that “we are mourning with you, but we also stand with you.” ___ 3 p.m. British Prime Minister Theresa May says that she will make it clear to President Donald Trump that intelligence shared between law enforcement agencies “must remain secure.” May made the comments to reporters after entering NATO headquarters for a summit. Some British officials have suggested that U. S. officials are leaking sensitive information to American media outlets about the investigation into the Manchester attack. May also said “we have a special relationship with the USA. It’s our deepest defense and security partnership that we have.” “Of course that partnership is built on trust, and part of that trust is knowing that intelligence can be shared confidently, and I will be making clear to President Trump today that intelligence shared between law enforcement agencies must remain secure.” ___ 2: 05 p.m. The New York Times has defended its publication of crime scene photographs showing evidence collected after the Manchester bombing, saying its reporting on the attack has been responsible. Some British officials have suggested that the information was leaked by U. S. officials, but it isn’t clear where The Times got the information. Manchester police chief Ian Hopkins said the story and photographs were “distressing” to victims’ families. Prime Minister Theresa May is due to discuss the issue with President Donald Trump at a NATO summit in Brussels. The Times said in a statement that “the images and information presented were neither graphic nor disrespectful of victims.” It added that its coverage of the attack “has been both comprehensive and responsible.” ___ 1: 45 p.m. Manchester’s Premier League soccer clubs have combined to donate 1 million pounds ($1.3 million) to a victims’ fund established after Monday’s suicide bombing in the northern English city. The cash pledge from Manchester United and Manchester City takes the “We Love Manchester Emergency Fund” over 3 million pounds. United executive chairman Ed Woodward says “the barbarism of Monday evening’s attack has shocked everyone. Our clubs are right at the heart of our local communities in Manchester and it is right that we present a unified response to this tragedy.” Man City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak hopes the donation “will go some small way to alleviate the daunting challenges faced by those directly affected.” ___ 1: 05 p.m. Queen Elizabeth II has told children injured in the Manchester bombing that the attack was “dreadful and wicked” as she visited a children’s hospital to meet victims, families and medical staff.
