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A member of the U.S. Secret was sent home from Israel following a "physical encounter" with a woman. The Secret Service said the employee, who is part of the agency's Counter Assault Team, was briefly detained and questioned by Israeli police. They were released without charges.
"The employee has returned to the United States," the agency said in a statement. "In accordance with agency protocol, his access to Secret Service systems and facilities was suspended pending further investigation."
According to NBC News, the incident occurred as the agent, and other employees were returning to their hotel after dinner. A woman claimed that she was assaulted on the street by the agent and called the police. There were no allegations that the assault was sexual in nature, and it is unknown if alcohol played a factor in the incident.
The incident occurred on Monday (July 11), just two days before President Joe Biden's scheduled visit to the country. It is the second time in recent months in which agents were sent back to the United States ahead of Biden's visit to another country. In May, two agents were sent home from South Korea following an altercation with a cab driver.