WATCH Amber Rudd: Donald Trump should stop tweeting
2 min read
Donald Trump’s astonishing claim about the Parsons Green bomber was “pure speculation” and the US president should stop tweeting, Amber Rudd said today.
The tycoon sparked anger when he appeared to share sensitive intelligence information when he said the bomber was “in the sights of Scotland Yard”.
Some 30 people were injured on Friday when an explosive device on a tube train burst into flames at the west London station.
Police have arrested two men and are searching a property in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey in relation to the attack.
But in the immediate aftermath of the attack Mr Trump took to Twitter to condemn the “loser terrorist” and appeared to share security information.
Asked on the Andrew Marr show whether the US president should stop tweeting, Ms Rudd said: “I don’t think I would be the first person to say that, would I?”
She added: “It’s never helpful to have speculation about an ongoing operation and I would include the president of the United States in that comment.”
And she insisted: “It is pure speculation, absolutely.”
First Secretary of State Damian Green meanwhile told Sky News: “It is unhelpful for anyone to speculate about police information or police activities when they are conducting operations in any kind of crime, but particularly in counter-terrorism operations.”
Mrs May said on Friday: “I never think it’s helpful for anyone to speculate on what is an ongoing investigation.
“As I’ve said, the police and security services are working to discover the full circumstances of this cowardly attack and to identity all those responsible.”
It is not the first the US administration has appeared to leak intelligence information. Highly sensitive police photos of the Manchester bomb attack found their way into US media in May this year.
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