Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Friday at a London press conference with Britain’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson that President Donald Trump has condemned the intelligence leaks related to the ISIS terrorist attack in Manchester on Monday and has promised to prosecute those responsible for the breach.
“With respect to the release of information inappropriately, information that was released by someone, information that’s vital to an ongoing investigation, information that’s vital to capturing those who were involved in this heinous event, certainly, we condemn that,” Tillerson said in response to a reporter’s question about whether or not the leaks have damaged the intelligence sharing relationship between the U.S. and the U.K.
“The president has been very strong in his condemnation and has called for an immediate investigation and prosecution of those who are found to have been responsible for leaking any of this information to the public,” Tillerson said, adding that the U.S. takes “full responsibility” for the leaks and that the relationship between the two countries “will certainly withstand this particular unfortunate event.”
“Around the world, you will find the U.S. and the U.K. facing the same problems together and defending our ideals together,” Johnson said. “We defend democracy and the rule of law, our values, and our freedoms – not just because they are ours, but because they are universal.”
“And if the world community can unite, I think, in the way that the people of Manchester have come together and united, then I think together we can prevail, and we will prevail,” Johnson said, adding that Tillerson’s visit was an “important sign” of the prevailing relationship between the two countries.
Tillerson also offered condolences to the British people for the attack that killed 22 people, including children, and wounded many more at a concert venue.
“I am here today in Great Britain on behalf of the American people,” Tillerson said. “I can tell you that all across America, hearts are broken.
“They’re just – they’re broken at the very thought of the loss of life of loved ones, the injured, the effect it has on their families, and I know that we share that grief with the rest of the world as well,” Tillerson said. “And please know that all of America’s prayers are with those who have lost loved ones and those that are injured for a speedy recovery.”
Eight other men are in custody in connection with the attack, and police and security agencies are scrambling to prevent further attacks.
Authorities are also chasing possible links between the bomber, Salman Abedi, and militants in Manchester, elsewhere in Europe, in North Africa, and in the Middle East.
Abedi, a college dropout who had grown up in the Manchester area, was the son of Libyan parents who migrated to Britain in the early 1990s.
Following the attack, it was learned that police and security services missed at least five opportunities over five years to stop Salman Abedi from carrying out his deadly attack.
Questions are being raised as to why British authorities did little to follow up on repeated reports from friends and community members that Abedi was radicalized and had expressed support for suicide bombings.
Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadhan Foundation, told The Telegraph that community members also reported Abedi to the authorities two years ago “because they thought he was involved in extremism and terrorism.”
“People in the community expressed concerns about the way this man was behaving and reported it in the right way using the right channels,” Shafiq said.
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