Trump tells Nato to get tough on borders
But he condemns US bomb probe leaks to the media
DONALD Trump yesterday appeared to link mass migrant flows to the Manchester atrocity, as he lectured fellow leaders on their open borders.
In a speech at Nato headquarters in Brussels, the US President said the alliance must do more to tackle both terrorism and immigration.
Referring to Monday’s suicide attack, he said: ‘Terrorism must be stopped or…the horror you saw in Manchester and so many other places will continue for ever.’
He added: ‘You have thousands and thousands of people pouring into our various countries and spreading throughout, and in many cases we have no idea who they are … We must be tough, we must be strong and we must be vigilant.
‘The Nato of the future must include a great focus on terrorism and immigration.’
While the President spoke of co-operation in tackling violent extremism, a diplomatic row was flaring up over US intelligence leaks about the Manchester bombing.
Last night Mr Trump – who was tackled over the issue by Theresa May yesterday – pledged to end the ‘very troubling’ leaks, after Britain had suspended intelligence shar- ing with its closest ally. He ordered an inquiry by the US justice department, saying: ‘The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to our society.’
He said the problem had plagued the US for a ‘very long time’ and vowed to prosecute any culprits ‘to the fullest extent of the law’. ‘There is no relationship we cherish more than the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom,’ he added.
Mr Trump’s remarks came after Greater Manchester Police took the unprecedented step of halting intelligence sharing with US authorities, following a series of damaging leaks to American media.
Home Secretary Amber Rudd demanded an end to the leaks in a phone call with US attorney general Jeff Sessions on Wednesday. But more material appeared to leak yesterday, with the Good Morning America show broadcasting footage apparently taken by police inside a flat raided in Manchester.
The Prime Minister raised the issue with Mr Trump yesterday, telling him the close intelligence relationship is ‘hugely valuable, but obviously the intelligence needs to be kept secure’.
Ahead of the meeting, she said she would ‘make clear to President Trump’ that the leaks must stop.
Shortly afterwards, Mr Trump told Nato leaders that the attack in Manchester demonstrated the ‘depths of the evil we face’. ‘Beautiful lives with so much great potential, torn from their families for ever and ever,’ he added. ‘It was a barbaric and vicious attack upon our civilisation.
‘All people who cherish life must unite in finding, exposing and removing these killers and extremists, and yes, losers – they are losers. Wherever they exist in our societies we must drive them out and never, ever let them back in.’
The leaks sparked an extraordinary row. On Wednesday, the New York Times outraged British police and Government officials when it published photos appearing to show debris from the attack.
Greater Manchester Police was said to be ‘furious’ and said it would stop sharing information with the US. Chief constable Ian Hopkins said the release of images had distressed families ‘already suffering terribly with their loss’.
British security services also stopped sharing intelligence with the US for what is understood to be the first time.
This applied only to intelligence related to the Manchester attack. Other intelligence sharing continued as normal. A counter-terrorism source said: ‘As far as we are aware this is the first time intelligence sharing has been halted … it is unprecedented.’
In a statement, a national counter-terrorism policing spokesman said: ‘We greatly value the important relationships we have with our trusted intelligence, law enforcement and security partners around the world … 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.’
Lewis Lukens, acting US ambassador to the UK, yesterday apologised for the ‘reprehensible’ leaks, thought to have stemmed from material shared with the FBI.
He added: ‘At all levels of government we have heard the message loud and clear from Her Majesty’s Government and we agree with their concerns and we’re determined to take action.’
The Home Secretary said she was ‘confident’ the leaks would stop and the suspension of intelligencesharing would be temporary.
Miss Rudd added: ‘Greater Manchester Police and the counter-terrorism police have taken a view. We hope that it is just going to be temporary, but it has been worrying, the leaks. But we are confident that will now end.’
Within 48 hours of the July 7/7 bombings in London in 2005, the US media was leaked pictures of unused bombs, apparently recovered from the bombers’ vehicle, dumped at Luton station.
Late last night, British security services announced they had resumed intelligence sharing with their US counterparts.
Comment – Page 16
‘Pose a grave threat to our society’