Police in Northern Ireland informed the U.S. Secret Service on Wednesday of local media reports saying a document related to President Joe Biden’s trip to Belfast was found on a city street.
“The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) informed the Secret Service of media reports regarding a potentially sensitive document, which may contain law-enforcement material,” Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesperson, said in a statement.
Local reports said the document was from the Police Service of Northern Ireland and detailed how officers would keep Belfast safe during Biden’s Tuesday night stay at the city’s Grand Central Hotel.
The Belfast Telegraph reported that the man who discovered the document called into a BBC radio show and said that it provided details of road closures, commanders assigned to various posts and phone numbers. The same news outlet had reported, before Biden’s arrival, that police had foiled a bomb plot meant to overshadow the president’s trip.
“While we do not discuss the specifics of any protective operation, the President’s movements were not affected by these reports,” Guglielmi said.
He added that the senior Secret Service official overseeing Biden’s visit, Jocelyn Keaveny, “expressed her highest confidence in our Irish and European partners and the ongoing security of the visit.”
In a separate statement, Keaveny said that the Secret Service relies on its partnerships to provide “the highest level of dignitary protection in the world.”
“The Police Service of Northern Ireland is a truly dedicated partner, and we have the utmost confidence in the PSNI’s abilities to work side by side with our agency,” she said.
Biden visited Northern Ireland on Wednesday to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, which ended 30 years of violent conflict in Northern Ireland. He’s spending the rest of the trip in the Republic of Ireland, where his itinerary includes exploring his family’s ancestral ties.
On Wednesday, Biden traveled to County Louth, home to his maternal ancestors in the 19th century. Biden’s great-grandparents James Finnegan and Catherine Roche lived in the area before Finnegan immigrated with his family to the U.S.
On Thursday, Biden is expected to meet with Ireland’s president, Michael Higgins, and taoiseach, or prime minister, Leo Varadkar, and address a joint session of the Irish Parliament. In the evening, Biden will attend a banquet at Dublin Castle.
Secret Service informed of document on Biden travel reportedly found in Belfast
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