European Intelligence Officials Complain That Trump Administration Leaked Details Of Manchester Attack

Buzzfeed reports:

UK and European intelligence officials are expressing concern over the fact that much of the information that emerged in the wake of the Manchester bombing has been sourced back to US officials.

The information first came in the hours after the attack — including a US official saying that the leading theory was that the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber — and culminated in a report by CBS News and the Associated Press that cited US officials claiming to identify the suspect who is believed to have blown himself up during an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena, killing at least 22 people.

The Manchester police would only later confirm the name of the suspect — 22-year-old Salman Abedi — to the press, and the arrest of another 23-year-old suspected in connection to the attack. One Belgian counterterrorism official who spoke with BuzzFeed News between a series of meetings about the Manchester attack confirmed the discomfort felt in European intelligence circles. Even US officials were frustrated by the leak.

Some called the US decision to release information about an ally’s investigation before even that nation had released it “unprofessional.” Others said that if it were the US investigating an attack, they could expect the UK to not release information about the case.

There’s a LOT more at the link.