Last week I noted the curious silence from the Bush administration about leaks to the press that appeared potentially damaging to the ongoing investigation of the British “liquid terror” plot.
Not everyone has been so sanguine as the White House, apparently. British counterterror police have angrily requested the FBI quit leaking sensitive information about the ongoing probes, according to the British paper, the Observer:
The British security services, MI5 and MI6, are understood to be dismayed that a number of sensitive details surrounding the alleged plot – including an FBI estimate that as many as 50 people were involved – were leaked to the media.
FBI sources confirmed to The Observer that the bureau had been ordered to stop briefing at the request of the British authorities. ‘The shutters have come down,’ a bureau source said. ‘We have been told not to discuss the case any more.’
The paper also reported that some British officials fear they acted too hastily, and may not have enough evidence to properly charge all suspects. Two of the two dozen men arrested have been released without being charged, the Observer noted.
