A US Embassy staffer known to be in possession of child abuse images was secretly flown out of the UK before British police could question him, according to media reports.

The unnamed American employee, who was assigned to the US Embassy in London, was snatched from his south London home by American officials on August 25 and flown to the United States.

Diplomatic Immunity?

British media have described him as having diplomatic immunity, although his precise diplomatic status has not been officially disclosed.

The media, which first reported the case, claimed that members of a US team raided the man’s flat, snatched and took him to the RAF Fairford airbase and then flew him to the US aboard a cargo plane.

No Extradition Request

Foreign officials have no general powers of arrest in Britain, and the newspaper said no formal extradition proceedings were initiated.

The operation was connected to a US investigation involving the employee’s brother, who sent him indecent images of children. Media reported that suspected child abuse material was subsequently found at the London property.

Epstein Island

The US Embassy confirmed that the authorities were investigating allegations concerning someone assigned to the mission and said he had been reassigned to the US while the inquiry continued.

‘The United States government expects all personnel to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, and we take these allegations seriously,’ an embassy spokesperson said.

Accounts differ over whether British authorities were informed before the employee was removed.

British Authorities not informed

The embassy said it had ’quickly informed UK law enforcement and took swift action,’ while Media reported that the Metropolitan Police and other British authorities learned of the operation only after the man had been flown out of the country.

The case has drawn comparisons with the diplomatic dispute involving Anne Sacoolas, a former US government employee who left Britain after a 2019 road crash in Northamptonshire that killed 19-year-old Harry Dunn.

Sacoolas had diplomatic immunity at the time and returned to the US shortly after the crash. She later pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and received an eight-month suspended prison sentence but did not return to Britain for sentencing.

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