USA betrays terror victims
Manchester leaks indefensible
IF DONALD Trump and America’s injudicious intelligence agencies want an object lesson in the importance of discretion, they should look no further than the dignified example that continues to be set so magnificently by the Queen.
On the morning that the country fell silent to pay its respects to all those killed, and maimed, in Manchester’s terror atrocity in vigils made all the more heartfelt by their informality, Her Majesty was meeting first responders – and young victims still being treated in hospital.
Though the Queen has made it her duty to undertake goodwill visits following national tragedies, the time she spent talking to, amongst others, Harrogate teenager Evie Mills, 14, could not have been more empathetic – her compassion, even solidarity, will have provided great comfort to each and every victim. Kept secret so not to add to the police’s already considerable workload, Her Majesty’s candour, and the time she devoted to this hospital visit, was at one with Manchester’s extraordinary response to this terrible tragedy.
Contrast this with the brazen disrespect shown by the Americans who, remember, are supposed to be Britain’s ally in the global struggle against Islamist extremism. No wonder a visibly furious Theresa May said she intended to read the Riot Act to President Trump at the Nato summit in Brussels. Though the leaks do not appear to have emanated from the White House, they nevertheless reflect badly on the chaotic nature of his presidency.
Not only did the cavalier Americans compromise the security operation here by revealing the identity of suicide bomber Salman Abedi before police were ready to divulge his identity here, but they then compounded matters by releasing – or leaking – graphic photographs taken from the scene, speculative details about the actual bomb and the carnage that took place inside the lobby of Manchester Arena.
Deeply distressing to grieving families who, rightly, have been shielded from the most gruesome aspects of the investigation underway – it’s still not been possible for them to formally identify the remains of loved ones – it makes the police’s task here even more invidious as security is intensified nationwide.
Even though the fight against global terrorism depends upon international co-operation, Greater Manchester Police cannot be blamed for choosing not to share information with their American counterparts.
Until the USA can demonstrate that intelligence will remain “secure”, a point made very forcefully by the Prime Minister, dealings do need to be more circumspect. And given America’s likely reaction if these breaches of protocol were happening in reverse, the very least that President Trump can do is apologise to the victims on behalf of his security agencies while making clear that he will be demanding the highest standards of discretion in the future. He should not need reminding of the message that underpinned Britain’s steadfastness during the Second World War and which continues to be encapsulated by the Queen’s example – careless talk costs lives.