UK investigators’ fury over US evidence leak

Leaked intelligence about the Manchester bomb attack to the US media “undermines” the UK investigation, counter-terrorism officers said last night.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council has spoken out after photographs apparently showing bloodstained fragments from the concert bomb were published in the New York Times (NYT).

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.

“These relationships enable us to collaborate and share privileged and sensitive information that allows us to defeat terrorism and protect the public.

“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...”

Theresa May is expected to raise UK concerns when she meets Donald Trump today.

A Whitehall source said: “We are furious. This is completely unacceptable.”

The new pictures show torn scraps from a blue rucksack as well as screws and nuts used as shrapnel and a metal item which the newspaper suggests could have been part of the bomb’s detonator.

The NYT described them as “law enforcement images” but did not make clear how they had been obtained.

The NYT picture of the bomb trigger found in Abedi’s hand.