British government ministers are facing calls to act after US authorities reportedly flew a diplomat accused of possessing indecent images of children out of the UK. US officials reportedly raided the diplomat’s London flat last month before taking him to an American airbase and flying him out of the country, without warning the Metropolitan Police.
American personnel do not have powers of arrest in Britain, and there was no formal request for the man to be extradited. UK ministers are understood to be in contact with the US embassy regarding the incident.
Alex Norris, the Conservative counterpart to the justice secretary, Nick Timothy, expressed concern in a letter that US actions represented “a cover-up” and that the diplomat may have committed offences in the UK. He stated that if this is the case, the diplomat should face trial in an English court.
A UK government spokesperson declined to comment due to an ongoing US investigation but said Britain expects all foreign diplomats to obey the law while in the UK. A spokesperson for the US embassy said it was “aware of allegations” concerning one of its staff, adding that the individual has been reassigned to the United States in conjunction with an ongoing investigation.
A Met police spokesperson said that on Tuesday 25 August, US authorities made them aware of an investigation they are conducting into suspected offences in London relating to indecent images of children, and that they continue to liaise with them.