A U.S. embassy employee accused of possessing child abuse images was "secretly sent out of the UK" by the U.S. side, the UK government has spoken out.

According to reports by BBC, Sky News and other media outlets on September 13 local time, an employee of the U.S. Embassy in the UK was arrested by U.S. law enforcement agencies in August at his apartment in south London after being accused of possessing child abuse images, and was "secretly sent out of the country" without the UK side being informed. The reports described that it is said U.S. law enforcement agencies had obtained a court order in the United States before taking action, and then on August 25 raided the employee's London apartment, took him away and transported him to a Royal Air Force base used by the U.S. military in order to evacuate him from the country. The reports mentioned that the U.S. side has no arrest authority in the UK, and it is also said that no formal extradition request for the man was made. The UK government was apparently only informed after the employee had been taken out of the UK. The U.S. Embassy confirmed to the BBC that the relevant departments are investigating these allegations and have transferred its employee back to the United States during the investigation. "The U.S. government expects all personnel to adhere to the highest standards of conduct, and we take these allegations seriously." However, the reports said that multiple UK ministers have contacted the U.S. Embassy over the matter, believing that this move could further exacerbate tensions between London and Washington.