Rubio security detail arrested in Brussels after 'behaving erratically' and fighting police: report

08 April

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio looks on, as U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (not pictured) in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 7, 2025. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt

A shift supervisor from the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), who was part of Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s security team, was reportedly taken into custody by Belgian authorities at a hotel in Brussels last week following a dispute with hotel personnel and a scuffle with the police who arrived at the scene.

The Washington Examiner reported Tuesday that the DSS staffer was “behaving erratically and became irate.” The incident took place in Hotel Amigo, per the report, where the secretary later stayed while participating in the NATO foreign ministers meeting.

The Department of State Security (DSS) is tasked with safeguarding American diplomats and their diplomatic facilities globally, as well as investigating offenses like passport and visa fraud.

According to the report, the individual became furious when hotel staff declined to extend bar hours. When staff members, including the night manager, tried to convince him to go back to his room, the agent became physically confrontational, per the report.

When police were called to handle the situation, the agent clashed with several officers, prompting them to arrest him.

The DSS veteran, whose identity the report did not disclose, served as a senior agent on the advance team in Belgium. This team was tasked with securing the hotel and making final security arrangements in various locations in Brussels for Rubio's visit.

He was released from custody later that same day after the United States Embassy intervened.

AlterNet has reached out to the State Department for comment.

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