A US diplomat posted at the American Embassy in London was allegedly detained and secretly transported back to the United States after investigators reportedly discovered child sexual abuse material on his electronic devices, The Sun reported.
The diplomat’s identity has not been revealed. He was reportedly connected to an investigation involving his brother in the US, which allegedly led American authorities to uncover the material. The investigation eventually resulted in US Marines raiding the diplomat’s London home late last month.
The incident has sparked a diplomatic controversy because British police and officials were reportedly notified only after the diplomat had already been removed from the country. UK authorities have since questioned whether the operation was legally carried out on British territory.
Reports suggest that the diplomat was taken out of the UK using a US military aircraft. On August 24, a Boeing 747 travelled from Chicago to a Royal Air Force base in Gloucestershire, where the US military has a substantial presence.
The aircraft flew back to the US the following day and landed at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware shortly before 8 pm local time. It reportedly left for Chicago less than four hours later.
The reported operation has attracted criticism from British politicians.
Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty accused the US of using military resources to remove a diplomat from Britain without involving British authorities.
“US Marines conducting a raid on British soil, on which they have no jurisdiction, to seize one of their own diplomats and then use US military resources to ferry the suspect out of the country and fly him to the US is completely unacceptable,” he wrote on X.
The controversy comes just before British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is scheduled to meet US President Donald Trump at the United Nations in New York.
A spokesperson for the UK government told The Sun that foreign diplomats stationed in Britain are expected to follow UK laws. However, the spokesperson declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing US investigation.
The US Embassy in London said it was aware of allegations concerning an individual assigned to the embassy and stressed that American personnel are expected to uphold the highest standards of conduct.
A US diplomatic source defended the decision to remove the diplomat, claiming that American officials acted swiftly to prevent the case from being held up by potentially lengthy diplomatic procedures.
The investigation was reportedly initiated after authorities began looking into the diplomat’s brother in the US, from whom the alleged material was said to have originated.
