Secret Service agent sent home following 'physical encounter' in Israel

Mike Brest

July 13, 11:50 AM July 13, 11:50 AM

A Secret Service agent has returned to the United States after getting into an altercation in Israel leading up to President Joe Biden's trip to the Middle East.

An agency employee who was allegedly involved in a "physical encounter" on Monday was briefly detained and questioned by Israeli police before getting released without facing charges, an agency spokesperson told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday. A person knowledgeable about the case said the allegation was not one of "sexual assault" but did not provide additional details.

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"The employee has returned to the United States," the spokesperson added. "In accordance with agency protocol, his access to Secret Service systems and facilities was suspended pending further investigation."

This is the latest in a series of black eyes for the agency whose most important directive is to keep the president alive.

Two agents were sent home from South Korea in late May after an alleged alcohol-fueled incident ended with the local police, while earlier this year, four Secret Service members were placed on administrative leave after allegedly accepting gifts, such as a rent-free apartment, from two men accused of impersonating federal law enforcement to get close to members of the U.S. government.

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Biden touched down in Israel on Wednesday, embarking on a Middle East trip amid a series of domestic issues at home and the war in Ukraine still at the forefront on the international stage.