Police in the U.K. have decided to stop sharing intelligence with U.S. officials over fears that classified details about the terror attack in Manchester Monday night will be leaked, according to several reports out of the UK.
Those leaks, most of which have been damaging to the Trump administration, also have British Prime Minister Theresa May worried. She said Thursday that she would raise the issue with President Trump when they meet Thursday at a NATO summit.
“I will make clear to President Trump that intelligence that is shared between our law enforcement agencies must remain secure,” May said, according to Reuters.
Reuters quoted a source saying that no further information related to terrorism would be shared with the U.S. over fears of more damaging leaks.
“This is until such time as we have assurances that no further unauthorized disclosures will occur,” the source said.
The UK’s home secretary criticized the U.S. on Wednesday for allowing leaks that were damaging to the investigation.
“The British police have been very clear they want to control the flow of information in order to protect operational integrity – the element of surprise – so it is irritating if it gets released from other sources,” Home Secretary Amber Rudd said. “[A]nd I’ve been very clear with our friends that that should not happen again.”
The U.K.’s move is likely to bolster Trump’s arguments that leaks from within the U.S. government are highly damaging to U.S. national security. Many of the leaks have been about his administration’s conversations related to Russia, and rationale for firing ousted FBI Director James Comey.
But the U.K.’s reaction could prompt Trump to further explore how to find and discipline those responsible for the leaks.
