Secret Service member sent back to US after altercation in Israel

An employee of the Secret Service has returned to the United States from Israel after an alleged “physical encounter” led to his detention by Israeli police, the agency confirmed to The Hill.

A Secret Service spokesperson told The Hill in a statement that the agency was informed on Monday that an employee on duty in Israel was allegedly involved in a physical encounter just days before President Biden was due to arrive in the country.

“The employee was briefly detained and questioned by Israeli police, who released him without charges,” according to the spokesperson.

The statement added that in accordance with agency protocol, “his access to Secret Service systems and facilities was suspended pending further investigation.”

The incident was first reported by CNN, which identified the member detained by police as part of the Secret Services Counter Assault Team, a highly-trained specialized tactical unit.

A source told the news network the employee assaulted a woman outside of a bar.

Israeli Police and Israel’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to The Hill’s request for comment.

This incident comes months after two Secret Service employees were sent back to the U.S. from South Korea and placed on administrative leave after the employees allegedly got into a confrontation with a taxi driver in South Korea while they were apparently intoxicated.