LONDON: A British minister said Wednesday it was 鈥渋rritating鈥� that details about the Manchester concert bombing had been leaked to US media before being released in Britain, saying she had spoken to US authorities.
鈥淭he British police have been very clear that they want to control the flow of information in order to protect operational integrity... the element of surprise,鈥� Interior Minister Amber Rudd told BBC radio.
鈥淪o it is irritating if it gets released from other sources and I have been very clear with our friends that that should not happen again.鈥�
Asked if the US authorities had compromised the investigation, she said: 鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 go that far.
鈥淏ut I can say that they are perfectly clear about the situation and that it shouldn鈥檛 happen again.鈥�
At least 22 people were killed on Monday night when a bomb went off at a concert by US pop star Ariana Grande in Manchester, northwest England, among them children.
British-born Salman Abedi was identified as the suspected suicide bomber responsible. His name first surfaced in US media reports Tuesday, based on briefings given to US officials by their counterparts in London.