Joe Biden Visit: Security Paper Lost During Ireland Tour
The highly anticipated Joe Biden visit to Ireland has met its first logistic hurdle when a security paper listing the protection detail of the U.S. president was found lying on the streets of Ireland.
The security paper was found near the hotel where U.S. President Joe Biden was staying, detailing the names and phone numbers of police officers involved in security operations of the U.S. president during his Ireland visit, according to USA Today. The security paper also noted the streets the security members were deployed, with other information such as street closures and measures to detect vehicles they deemed hostile.
The man who found the security paper, "Bill," found the document on one Belfast street. He said in an interview with "The Nolan Show" on BBC Radio Ulster that it "sounds a bit crazy, but it's true."
Security Paper of Joe Biden Ireland Visit
Bill said in an Independent report that he found it alarming, with the security paper containing "highly sensitive" information, with details of roads being closed, the names of the commanders, and phone numbers.
The officers' names were listed, along with the nature of their role in the president's security. For instance, some officers' nature of duty includes "bronze supervision of the call signs at the venue" while also ensuring "integrity of the controlled streets around the venue."
The security paper also has call signs assigned to each officer, with the event name on the paper stating, "Op Rondoletto - Grand Central Hotel."
Police Service Northern Ireland responded to the incident by saying that they were aware of a security breach and had launched an investigation.
PSNI also said that they have notified the senior information risk officer, adding that they take the "safety of visiting dignitaries," the public, and their officers and staff "extremely seriously."
Bedford Street was closed, including streets surrounding the Grand Central Hotel, amid the U.S. president's visit.
Over 300 offices from the rest of the United Kingdom were drafted into Northern Ireland to support PSNI during Biden's visit.
Joe Biden Visit to Ireland
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, greeted Joe Biden in Belfast. The U.S. president headed to Belfast to celebrate an agreement that ended three decades of killing, the Good Friday Agreement.
USA Today noted Good Friday Agreement was orchestrated during former president Bill Clinton's administration.
When Biden left Washington on Tuesday, he described his goal as ensuring "the Irish accords and the Windsor Agreement stay in place."
Liam Kennedy, director of the Clinton Institute for American Studies at the University College Dublin, said in a CNN report that Biden wants to see good examples when it comes to the rule of law in U.S. foreign policy. Kennedy said that the Good Friday accord is a "good example" of that.
The director went on to say that the Good Friday Agreement can get "real bipartisan buy-in" in the U.S. political arena.
Biden was known to have opposed extraditing IRA suspects from the U.S. to Britain, saying that the justice system in Northern Ireland at the time "wasn't fair."
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: Biden calls for return of power-sharing in Northern Ireland - from Guardian News
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