Manchester bombing ‘may have been avoided with Russian intelligence’, Putin aides claim
RUSSIAN officials have claimed the Manchester bombing tragedy was linked to Britain’s failure to cooperate with the former Soviet nation.
Putin aides claim Russian intelligence would have help Britain avoid the Manchester attack
The extraordinary claim comes after at least 22 people, including children, were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the Manchester Arena on Monday night.
Theresa May announced that the UK terror threat had been raised to critical, but Mr Putin’s allies appear to blame the Government for making the nation vulnerable to terrorism.
Senior senator Viktor Ozerov, head of the Russian upper house's defence and security committee, used the tragedy to criticise the Prime Minister for distancing Britain from the Kremlin.
Manchester vigil in Albert Square
Mr Ozerov said: “We have said several times that - although the UK was the first country that refused to cooperate with us on the level of intelligence services - we are ready to share any information we have.
“And, of course, this now applies.”
He added: “Unfortunately, what happened in Manchester is a lesson to the UK intelligence services that, without help from other countries, their work can fail.
What happened in Manchester is a lesson to the UK intelligence services
“I commiserate with everybody who suffered or lost close ones in Manchester.”
Putin loyalist MP Sergei Zheleznyak accused the British Government of being distracted by “political games”.
Mr Zheleznyak said: “The latest tragedy in Manchester forces us to remind the leaders of Western countries that the goal of joint efforts must be to counteract real challenges such as international terrorism, and not to play political games against non-existent threats.”
Armed police responding to the scene in Manchester on Monday night
The Russian president reached out to Mrs May after the tragedy and promised to ensure closer intelligence ties with Britain.
In a Kremlin statement, he said: “We firmly condemn this cynical, inhuman crime. We expect that those behind it will not escape the punishment they deserve.
“The Russian head of state confirmed his readiness to bolster anti-terrorism cooperation with our British partners, both on a bilateral basis and in the framework of broader international efforts.”