UK resumes sharing intelligence with US
MANCHESTER, England — Police said they have resumed sharing intelligence about the Manchester bombing with US counterparts.
The United Kingdom had halted the exchange of information after details of the Manchester investigation, including forensic crimescene photos, appeared in US media. The disclosure infuriated British officials, and Prime Minister Theresa May brought up the leaks with President Donald Trump at the NATO summit on Thursday.
Mark Rowley is Britain’s top counterterrorism officer and announced the resumption of intelligence-sharing late on 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 United States, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Police arrested a man on Friday in the Manchester suburb of Moss Side, the tenth person to be taken into custody in connection with Monday night’s attack.
Eight men are in custody now after a man and a woman were released without charge, Greater Manchester police said.
Meanwhile, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull warned on Friday that counterterror organizations must realize that children and places of mass gathering are becoming the target for modern terrorists.
In the fallout to the “despicable” attack, which left at least 22 people dead and 59 others injured, Turnbull said he had met with his counterterror coordinator and the federal police commissioner so counterterror bodies become more “alert” and “agile” in response to potential terror risks.
Speaking to Macquarie Radio, he said schools, sporting events and concerts were no longer off limits for terrorists, and that Australia’s security organizations would review their processes to ensure Australians remain safe.
“We should not underestimate the length to which these killers will go,” Turnbull said.
“They are utterly without any moral compass at all. These are the most cruel, cynical and cowardly killers. They are despicable and reprehensible.”