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A member of the U.S. Secret Service was allegedly involved in a “physical altercation” while working in Israel and was sent back to the U.S. prior to President Biden’s trip to Israel.
A spokesperson for the Secret Service told Fox News that the agency learned on Monday that an employee in Israel was allegedly involved in a “physical encounter” and was briefly detained by Israeli police and has returned to the U.S.
The Secret Service employee’s access to agency systems and facilities was suspended pending further investigation, according to the spokesperson.
“Late Monday, the United States Secret Service was informed that an agency employee working in Israel was allegedly involved in a physical encounter. The employee was briefly detained and questioned by Israeli police, who released him without charges. The employee has returned to the United States. In accordance with agency protocol, his access to Secret Service systems and facilities was suspended pending further investigation,” the spokesperson told Fox News.
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A U.S. Secret Service Uniformed Division police car is parked in front of the White House in Washington on April 21, 2022. (Photo by Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
(Yasin Ozturk/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Further details about the incident were not released.
The incident comes just days before Biden arrived in Israel on Wednesday, beginning his first trip to the Middle East as president.
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President Biden speaks during an arrival ceremony at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, July 13, 2022.
(AP/Evan Vucci)
“Generation after generation, that connection grows. We invest in each other. We dream together,” Biden said as he arrived in Israel. “We have reaffirmed the unshakable commitment of the United States to Israel’s security, including partnering with Israel on the most cutting-edge defense systems in the world.”