The UK has resumed sharing intelligence with the Pentagon after receiving fresh assurances. This comes after unauthorized leaks splashed across US media following the Manchester terrorist attack, according to Reuters, citing Britain’s most senior counter terrorism officer.
«While we do not usually comment on information sharing arrangements… 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, » Britain’s lead officer for counter-terrorism policing, Mark Rowley, told Reuters.
Intelligence sharing had reportedly been suspended earlier on Thursday following the leaking of unauthorized images to US media showing components of the bomb detonated in Monday’s terrorist attack in Manchester.
UK police had accused US media this week of undermining the investigation into the Manchester attack following the “unauthorised disclosure of potential evidence.”
Their announcement followed publication of a New York Times piece titled ‘Found at the Scene in Manchester: Shrapnel, a Backpack and a Battery’ , showing images allegedly from the scene of the attack, including shrapnel, the alleged backpack used and a detonator.
Donald Trump criticized the leak, calling them “deeply troubling” in a statement released by the White House on Thursday.
“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, ” he said, adding that “there is no relationship we cherish more than the Special Relationship” between the US and the UK.
The US, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand comprise the so-called ‘Five Eyes’ union – an intelligence sharing community under a UK-USA agreement.
