People pay tribute to victims of the Manchester Arena attack in central Manchester on May 25, 2017.DARREN STAPLES/Reuters
As Manchester struggled to return to some sense of normalcy, there was mounting controversy over the investigation into Monday's bombing with police and senior government ministers lashing out at U.S. intelligence officials.
British police have been fuming all week over what they believe has been a steady stream of leaks about the investigation by U.S. intelligence officials to American media. That started on Monday evening, when U.S. media outlets were the first to report the bombing was a suicide attack and then, on Tuesday, U.S. broadcasters identified the name of the bomber after Manchester police said they were withholding the information as they pursued their investigation. On Wednesday, The New York Times published photos of the crime scene showing parts of the bomb and fragments of shrapnel, leading British police to say they would no longer share information with U.S. officials who often assist in these types of investigations.
Prime Minister Theresa May raised the issue with President Donald Trump during a NATO meeting in Brussels on Thursday, saying that "the information shared with our law-enforcement agencies must remain secure." Mr. Trump called the leaks deeply troubling and ordered a probe, adding that "these leaks have been going on for a long time and my administration will get to the bottom of this."
Read more: Citing Manchester, Trump rebukes NATO over defence spending
The spat over intelligence sharing was resolved late on Thursday after British police received assurances that information would be kept confidential. But it opened another front in what has already been a traumatic week for the city and the country.
Police have yet to fully piece together whether Salman Abedi acted alone in the attack that killed 22 people and injured more than 100. So far, eight people have been arrested in Manchester but no one has been charged and police were still carrying out raids at locations across the region on Thursday. Meanwhile, the people of Manchester began the slow process of healing.
"All we've got is democracy," Robyn Grayson said as he joined a handful of volunteers in a campaign office in south Manchester for the first time since Monday night. All campaigning for the June 8 general election had been halted by the political parties after the bombing, a sign of respect for the victims and an acknowledgment that no one wanted to listen to politicians at that moment. But, by Thursday, the itch to resume some kind of electioneering was too great and the parties took tentative steps forward.
Mr. Grayson rejoiced, insisting that campaigns and elections were the only way to truly combat terrorism. "We have to defend our democracy. We can't let them win," he said as he stuffed envelopes for John Leech, a Liberal Democrat candidate.
There were other attempts at getting back to normal across Manchester as hundreds of people gathered in the city's historic St. Ann's Square for a minute of silence in memory of those who died.
"There's risk in everything you do," said Andy Hammond, 32, as he stood at the back of the crowd. He said that he's trying to resume his work teaching youth about music, even though many of them are still shaken by the bombing and reluctant to speak about it. He's pressing ahead, encouraging the teenagers to recapture their love of music and shake off any fear of going to pop concerts. "You've just got to do whatever it is you want, you can't let that stop you," he added.
The infusion of music into the soul of this city stood out at the brief commemoration. As the moment of silence ended, the crowd burst into extended applause. And then, a group of people started singing Don't Look Back In Anger by hometown band Oasis. Soon, others joined in and by the time of the chorus, everyone sang out the words "don't look back in anger."
And yet, throughout the day, there were constant reminders of the tragedy that unfolded Monday night at the end of the Ariana Grande concert. Police provided a steady stream of updates on those who died, releasing names and heartfelt message from family members.
"My stunning amazing beautiful daughter, you were my rock, you made me so proud with all you had achieved and my gorgeous crazy Philip, you made my world a happy place and now you are both my angels flying high in the sky," said Deborah Hutchinson, about her teenaged daughter, Courtney Boyle, and her partner, Philip Tron, who both died in the explosion.
"Elaine just loved life, and had a major love of music. Despite what has happened to her, she would want us all to carry on regardless and not be frightened by fear tactics, instead she regularly urged us all to rise up against it," said the family of Elaine McIver, an off-duty police officer who was at the concert with her partner and two children who were injured in the blast.
There are still many questions about what happened and who may have helped Mr. Abedi, a 22-year-old British citizen whose parents came to the country as refugees from Libya in the 1990s.
His older brother has been arrested in Britain and another sibling is being held in Libya along with their father, who returned to Libya about six years ago. There are reports Mr. Abedi travelled frequently to Libya and made a trip to Germany just before the bombing. His sister has told The Wall Street Journal that Mr. Abedi acted out of revenge for the killing of Muslims in Syria and elsewhere. By all accounts, the bomb he used was sophisticated, packed with nuts and bolts to ensure maximum carnage. That has led Britain to increase its security alert to the highest level and put up to 4,000 soldiers on the streets.
By late Thursday afternoon, as the sun beat down and the temperature soared above normal, Manchester took on the feeling of mid-summer casualness with patio bars filling up and restaurants overflowing onto sidewalks. Many were still celebrating the victory by Manchester United the night before in the Europa League final, a key victory that sent fans into the streets singing and cheering late into the evening. And as the day wore on, city workers finished preparations for the Great City Games, an international track and field event Manchester is hosting that features several races run on a specially built track that stretches along a downtown street.
"There is no more defiant message that we can send to terrorists than carrying on with our everyday lives and the Great City Games will be a powerful symbol of that resilience," city council leader Sir Richard Leese said. "We will not let those who want to sow fear and division win. This is Manchester and we do things differently here."
Back in south Manchester, Liberal Democrat candidate Mr. Leech paused to reflect on how he would approach voters for the first time since Monday night. "Sure, people will want to raise their concerns, particularly about safety and safety of kids," he said. "People will be understandably frightened, angry, upset and concerned about what it means for the future. … But I'm sure that by the time the election comes around people will be focused on all the important issues."
Paul Waldie