Topline
Local police documents detailing security protocols for President Joe Biden’s visit to Ireland were discovered on a street in Belfast Wednesday, USA Today reported, amid heightened security concerns and a rash of political violence in Northern Ireland, where the government is locked in a legislative stalemate.
President Joe Biden shakes hands with Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, left,as his son Hunter … [+]
Key Facts
A local man found the security documents Wednesday after Belfast police apparently lost them, USA Today reported, citing a U.S. law enforcement official.
The documents reportedly detailed the names of Belfast police officers and their locations, but did not include any Secret Service information.
The findings come as the terrorism threat in Northern Ireland was raised to “severe” ahead of Biden’s visit to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement that ended a decades-long civil war.
Belfast police on Tuesday confiscated four suspected pipe bombs from a cemetery about 70 miles from the university Biden spoke from later in the day, Reuters reported.
On Monday, masked attackers threw petrol bombs and other objects at a police vehicle during a protest against the Good Friday pact.
Crucial Quote
U.S. National Security spokesperson John Kirby expressed confidence in safety protocols in Ireland ahead of Biden’s visit, telling reporters on Monday: “We don’t ever talk about security requirements of protecting the president, but the president is more than comfortable making this trip, and he’s very excited to do it.”
Key Background
Biden urged the Northern Irish government to unify amid a legislative stalemate sparked by post-Brexit trade concerns. “Your history is our history, but more important, your future is America’s future,” Biden said from Ulster University on Wednesday. Earlier in the day, Biden met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak ahead of a meeting with the leaders of Northern Ireland’s five political parties. Biden, who is the first Irish-Catholic president since John F. Kennedy Jr., will head to the Republic or Ireland later Wednesday to commence a three-day visit, including a speech before the Dublin parliament.
Tangent
The security breach in Belfast comes as U.S. Defense officials are reeling from a snowballing leak of top-secret military documents on social media that disclosed intelligence findings about the U.S.’s predictions for Ukraine’s war with Russia, along with revelations that key U.S. allies were cozying up to Russia. The leak, which included hundreds of documents published on social media sites including the Kremlin-backed Telegram app and Twitter, were first reported by the New York Times last week. Department of Defense officials were reportedly shocked by the leak and have yet to determine its origin or remove the files from social media.
Further Reading
Here’s Why U.S. Officials Feel ‘Sick’ Over Defense Leaks: Secrets About Allies, Alliances With Russia And Doubts About Ukraine’s Strength (Forbes)
Biden Celebrates a Northern Ireland ‘Made Whole by Peace’ as Tensions Persist (The New York Times)
Joe Biden aims to ‘keep the peace’ as he flies to Belfast (BBC)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/saradorn/2023/04/12/biden-security-details-discovered-on-belfast-street-report-says/