Police in Northern Ireland are investigating a possible “security flaw” during the visit of the President of the United States, Joe Biden, to the Northern Irish territory after finding top secret travel documents lying on a Belfast street.
These documents contained the detailed tour itinerary of Biden, with very specific places and times, as well as the security deploymentwhich has cost almost eight million euros.
The documents were delivered this Wednesday to police officers after being found in a Belfast street very close to the hotel in which the United States delegation was staying, as confirmed by the BBC.
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Although no personal details related to the president or other leaders were disclosed, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has reported that those documents included the names of all officers of PSNI involved in the operation. It also included the phone numbers and addresses of the main PSNI officials.
“There has been a security breach”
The Northern Irish Police Force has acknowledged that the security of the leaders who visit the area is being taken “seriously” and has defended that the agents have “taken very seriously” what happened. “We are aware that there has been a security breach and an investigation has already been launched,” he added.
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Police in Northern Ireland have already informed the US Secret Service. “The president’s movements have not been affected as the team does not address protection issues,” they say.
Sources close to the matter have specified in statements to that they “trust European and Irish partners to guarantee Biden’s safety during his visit.”
Joe Biden’s visit is the largest police operation in Northern Ireland since the G-8 summit held a decade ago. In fact, more than 300 additional officers have been brought in from across the UK to form a ring of steel around Belfast ahead of Biden’s brief visit, at a cost of almost eight million euros.
