Ex-director troubled by US Secret Service

A former director of the US Secret Service, who worked in the protection detail for three presidents, has said he is “troubled” by what he sees in the service today.

Lewis Merletti, who averted an Osama bin Laden-ordered assassination attempt on Bill Clinton in the Philippines in 1996, told a conference in Waterford yesterday that he has concerns about the Secret Service’s budget, recruitment, and training.

He said current problems for the world’s security agencies include the threats posed by Islamic State, cybertheft, self-radicalisation using social media, and “lone wolf” attacks.