UK briefly suspended intelligence sharing with U.S. over Manchester leaks

British police have resumed sharing information with their counterparts in the US after a brief suspension over a series of leaks by American officials to journalists providing details of the Manchester bomb investigation.

The suspension, announced early on Thursday morning, lasted less than 24 hours. It was primarily intended to send a message to US law enforcement agencies registering anger at the casual way in which sensitive information was disclosed to American journalists.

Mark Rowley, the UK’s most senior counter-terrorism officer, confirmed that they had “received fresh assurances” from the US and were now working closely with them again.

The suspension was imposed after US officials disclosed to American journalists the identity of the Manchester bomber, Salman Abedi, and other details that had been passed to the US by Greater Manchester police and by Rowley’s London-based counter-terrorism team. The police had wanted to keep the name under wraps for 36 hours or more in order not to alert any of Abedi’s associates.

The home secretary, Amber Rudd, complained to the US secretary for homeland security, John Kelly, on Wednesday, and sought assurances that the disclosures would end. But within hours, the New York Times published the biggest disclosure of all: forensic details of the bomb site, including pictures of the detonator and the backpack in which the device is thought to have been carried.