Government investigators are probing allegations that the agents sent to the Caribbean resort of Cartagena to set up security ahead of US President Barack Obama’s weekend visit consorted with prostitutes.
After a briefing from Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, a leading US senator said Tuesday that “11 US Secret Service agents and officers” were involved in the incident.
Senator Susan Collins, ranking Republican on the Homeland Security Committee and Governmental Affairs Committee, also confirmed that, “Some 20 women foreign nationals were brought to the hotel in (Colombia), but allegedly marines were involved with the rest.”
Meanwhile, a US official, on condition of anonymity, told AFP on Tuesday that at least 10 American troops could be implicated in the scandal.
The Pentagon initially said that five military personnel were under investigation but the list of military suspects now included five Army Special Forces members, two members of a Navy explosives ordnance disposal unit, two Marine dog handlers and one Air Force member, the official said.
Officials said that the list could change as the total number of the suspects remained fluid.
There are concerns about the security implications of the incident as officials want to know whether the women were spies or had access to sensitive information.
The Secret Service says it has suspended the top security clearances of the 11 agents.
Obama said on Sunday that he expected a “rigorous” investigation into the alleged scandal, warning he would be “angry” if the claims were proven true.
AR/HJL/MA
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