US Secret Service in Manila ahead of Obama visit

A Secret Service agent holds open a door to the armored limo known as “The Beast,” as US President Barack Obama arrives at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport April 10, 2014 in Austin, Texas. Obama is in Austin to visit the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library and speak during a Civil Rights Summit. AFP/Brendan SMIALOWSKI

MANILA, Philippines–Members of the US Secret Service have arrived in the country in preparation for the visit of US President Barack Obama next week, the military said.

The Presidential Security Group will lead the security arrangement for the visit, military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Ramon Zagala told reporters on Wednesday.

“If there is a head of state that visits the country, the lead agency for security is the PSG,” Zagala said.

The members of the Secret Service already met with the PSG last Monday. They will work with each other during the visit, Zagala said, but declined to provide the number of the members of the US Secret Service that arrived for security reasons.

Zagala said there were no threats detected and the security alert status has not been raised as of posting time.

Obama will be in the country on April 28-29.

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