Manchester Bombing: UK Resumes Sharing Information With US

MANCHESTER, UK — British police resumed sharing information with the United States regarding Monday's deadly suicide bombing attack outside an Ariana Grande concert after President Trump promised to investigate "deeply troubling" leaks that led to the release of sensitive information concerning the bomb that killed 22 and injured 59 others. Police are holding a total of nine people in the United Kingdom in connection with the attack, while the bomber's father and younger brother are being held in Libya. The threat level in the U.K. remains "critical," signaling that another terror attack may be imminent.

"We greatly value the crucial relationship with our partners around the world so we can collaborate and share sensitive information to defeat terrorism and protect the public at home and abroad," said Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, who oversees national counter-terrorism policing for the British government.

"While we do not usually comment on information-sharing arrangements with international law enforcement organizations, we want to emphasize that, having received fresh assurances, we are now working closely with our key partners around the world, including all those in the 'Five Eyes' intelligence alliance,” he added. The alliance includes the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Trump did not publicly speak about the leak when he addressed NATO leaders on Thursday, but he released a statement saying he would request a review of the matter and prosecute the individual who leaked the information to the fullest extent of the law.

In his public remarks, the president called for a moment of silence and told Prime Minister Theresa May that all nations at the gathering "grieve with you and stand with you." He once again referred to the terrorists as "losers" and described the victims as "innocent little girls" and many others, with so much potential, who were "torn from their families for ever and ever."

The New York Times was at the heart of the information-sharing issue, which reportedly infuriated the British. The newspaper published photographs of the improvised explosive device on Wednesday, showing "in eerie detail, the makeshift shrapnel, shredded blue backpack and powerful lead acid battery used by the Manchester bomber who killed 22 people," the paper acknowledged. It also described forensic evidence recovered from the scene, including the fact that 22-year-old Salman Abedi's torso had been hurled toward the entrance of Manchester Arena after he detonated the improvised explosive device. The Times report said that the bomb contained shrapnel and a backup detonation system.

Meanwhile, the young singer who had just wrapped up her concert to a packed arena at the time the bomb went off, tweeted an emotional message to fans on Friday as she tried to make sense of the week's horrific events. She promised to return for a benefit concert when the details can be worked out.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II paid a surprise visit to some of the youngest victims of the tragedy as families of the 22 people killed in the attack continued to pay tribute to their loved ones. The queen visited Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. The Guardian has reported that 12 of the injured were younger than 16.

Greater Manchester police said on Friday that hundreds of officers continue to investigate the bombing as police have seized "thousands of exhibits that are now being assessed." The nine people in custody as of Friday range between 18 and 44. They are being held on suspicion of offenses in violation of the UK's Terrorism Act.

Despite pleas to remain calm, police also acknowledged an increase in hate incidents since the bombing.

"Sadly, we have seen an increase in reports of hate incidents from 28 on Monday, which is what we receive on an average day, to 56 on Wednesday this week," police said on Friday. "We can't directly link these to the events of Monday night and are continuing to monitor the situation."

A photo of a Hellfire missile also was circulating on social media among members of the British Royal Air Force with a message meant for the Islamic State in the aftermath of the tragedy: "Love From Manchester ❤," it read, according to the UK Defence Journal, which confirmed its authenticity from a military spokesperson.

As people look for ways to support victims of the tragedy, Manchester police warned the public to beware of phony fundraising scams. They provided a link to a fundraising page created by the Manchester Evening News in partnership with the British Red Cross. The page had raised more than $1.5 million of an approximately $2.6 million goal as of Thursday morning.

"This morning ... we have been carrying out searches at an address in the St. Helens area of Merseyside," Manchester police reported on Friday. "These searches are connected to Monday's attack on the Manchester Arena, but this is a fast-moving investigation and we are keeping an open mind at this stage."

Ten people in total have been arrested by British police, but two, including the only woman, were questioned and released, according to officials. News reports said that Abedi's 23-year-old brother was the first to be arrested on the morning after the attack.

Britain's Independent Television Network reported that Abedi called his younger brother in Libya just 20 minutes before the bomb was detonated.

Chief Constable Ian Hopkins of the Greater Manchester police has characterized the arrests as "significant" and said that police have recovered a number of "very important" items from the searches.

Watch: UK Investigates 'Network' Of Alleged Attackers

Police are now confident that they have identified all of the victims from the attack, including an unspecified number of children and an off-duty female police officer. The task of notifying victims' families has also been completed.

The American pop artist was performing at the Manchester Arena as part of her "Dangerous Woman" tour when Abedi is believed to have set off an improvised explosive device outside the crowded venue in the north England town, taking his own life in the process.

Grande, a native of Boca Raton, was scheduled to perform Thursday and Friday in London before moving on to stops in Belgium, Poland and Paris. All of those dates have now been removed from the singer's tour website, which shows her next performance in Paris on June 7.

In announcing that the country had gone to its highest threat level on Tuesday, British Prime Minister Theresa May said that the decision was made on the basis of information that investigators had been able to uncover since the attack. "It is now concluded on the basis of today's investigations that the threat level should be increased for the time being from severe to critical," May said Tuesday. "This means that their assessment is not only that an attack remains highly likely but that a further attack may be imminent. The change in the threat level means that there will be additional resources and support made available to the police as they work to keep us all safe."

Forensic examinations were expected to take another four to five days from Wednesday, meaning that officials could formally begin releasing the names of victims in the near future as a number of families released tributes to their slain loved ones.

Many who attended the concert were young girls who could be heard screaming and running as panic descended over concertgoers in one of the largest terror attacks on British soil.

Reverberations from the attack have been felt around the world, including at Paris' iconic Eifel Tower, which was plunged into darkness at midnight on Tuesday in solidarity with the victims of the tragedy. New York's Empire State Building also chose to remain dark on Tuesday night "in deep sympathy" for the lives lost in Manchester.

Manchester police have pleaded with the community to refrain from hate incidents.

"We understand that feelings are very raw right now and that people are bound to be looking for answers. However, now, more than ever, it is vital that our diverse communities in greater Manchester stand together and do not tolerate hate," Hopkins said earlier in the week. "We will therefore not tolerate hate towards any parts of our community and should communities be suffering from hate incidents ... I would please urge them to report it to us."

Police were called to the Manchester Arena with reports of an explosion at about 10:33 p.m. on Monday. Grande had just finished her performance and left the stage when the bomb was detonated. Police were flooded with more than 240 calls from frightened concertgoers.

May decried the "callous terrorist attack" as one of the worst to hit Britain and the single worst in northern England.

“We struggle to comprehend the warped and twisted mind that sees a room packed with young children not as a scene to cherish but as an opportunity for carnage," she said earlier on Tuesday, addressing journalists outside Number 10 Downing Street. “But we can continue to resolve to thwart such attacks in future, to take on and defeat the ideology that often fuels this violence and if there turn out to be others responsible for this attack to seek them out and bring them to justice."

Earlier in the week Trump referred to those responsible as "evil losers in life" and he said that the United States stands with Britain.

As a practical matter, May said the increased threat level means that armed military personnel will be deployed around the county under the command of police commanders.

A military presence has been evident on the streets of London since Wednesday outside some of the city's most iconic landmarks like Buckingham Palace, Number 10 Downing Street and the Palace of Westminster, which includes both houses of Parliament. Manchester police have said there are no military personnel patrolling the city and surrounding areas but there are more armed officers on the streets.

Grande, who had already left the stage, first took to Twitter shortly after 11 p.m. eastern Monday night with a heavy heart. "Broken," she posted. "From the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don't have words." She and her mother, Joan, arrived in Boca Raton, Florida, on Tuesday afternoon via a private jet that was greeted by Grande's boyfriend, Mac Miller, according to the Daily Mail.

Cellphone video posted on social media showed concertgoers reacting with shouts of "Oh my God" as the blast rocked the arena, which holds 21,000.

The Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack on social media, while Reuters reported that Twitter accounts affiliated with the group had posted celebratory messages. Some indicated that the attack was a response to air strikes in Iraq and Syria.

Hopkins said the injured were being treated at eight hospitals around the greater Manchester area. He added that more than 400 officers had been deployed in the Manchester area immediately following the attack.

"This is clearly a very concerning time for everyone," he said. "We are doing all that we can working with local and national agencies to support those affected as we gather information about what happened last night."

The Manchester Arena said on social media that the blast took place outside of the venue "in a public space" as concertgoers were attempting to leave. One witness, identified as Joe McElhone, told CNN that concertgoers heard a "really loud" explosion within two or three minutes after Grande left the stage.

"Lots of people came running back in to get away from it. And then from then on it was just a mad rush to try to get out of the arena," McElhone told CNN's Anderson Cooper.

Choking back tears, Charlotte Campbell told CNN and other news organizations that she lost contact with her 15-year-old daughter, Olivia, and her daughter's best friend, Adam. "They're not telling us anything. They're just registering them as missing people and telling us to wait by the phones," Campbell said.

One day later, Campbell posted on Facebook that her daughter would not be coming home. "RIP my darling precious gorgeous girl Olivia Campbell taken far far too soon. Go sing with the angels and keep smiling. Mummy loves you so much."

Olivia's friend was found alive but injured in a hospital.

The Manchester City Council expressed its sympathy and encouraged visitors to sign the online book of condolence. All national campaigning ahead of the United Kingdom's June 8 election was suspended in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The attack was the most deadly terror-related incident on U.K. soil since the London bombings of July 7, 2005.

While Manchester is roughly three hours away from London by car, the city has not been spared the concern of terror-related incidents. In 2009, 12 suspects were arrested on suspicion of being part of a Manchester terror cell. All of the suspects were later released from British prosecution based on insufficient evidence, but at least one was convicted in the United States of plotting terror attacks.

Witnesses speaking to the BBC described confusion in the aftermath of Monday's explosion and reported hearing loud bangs near the ticket office.

"People were just crying and in tears ... police cars were everywhere," one witness told the BBC. "We just wanted to get out as quickly as possible because we didn't know what was going on."

At one point, police set off a controlled explosion in nearby Cathedral Garden, which could also be heard by concertgoers as they attempted to clear the area.

Patch editor Ashley Ludwig in California also contributed to this article.

Photo credit: Dan Kitwood / Staff / Getty Images News