‘Inside’ Security Secrets Ahead Of Biden’s Trip To Finland

As Finland anticipates the arrival of US President Joe Biden this week, major preparations are underway by security chiefs.

The US President is scheduled to arrive in Finland on Wednesday, July 1, for obvious reasons security bosses have deliberately kept the exact details close to their chests, writes YLE.

The purpose of Biden’s visit to Finland is to attend a US-Nordic Leaders’ Summit in Helsinki on Thursday, a trip that will see him bring a huge entourage along.

Secret Service ‘Secrets’

A spokesperson for the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), Charly Salonius-Pasternak, said: ‘I have heard that because it is a multi-country trip, Biden will bring a total of 600-700 people to Finland.’

For reasons of security, certain details about the trip are not made public too far in advance, but some interesting things have been revealed.

‘Celtic,’ is the security codename for President Biden, in a nod to his Irish ancestry. Past codenames have included ‘Mogul’ for Donald Trump and ‘Eagle’ for Bill Clinton.

Some of the safety measures taken may seem over the top to many, but security operatives live by the maxim, ‘no surprises,’ where absolutely nothing is left to chance.

Helsinki was the centre of attention in 2018 when Russian President Putin met Trump. Back then, manhole covers were welded shut around the location of the meeting and also along the motorcade route. Experts believe that this procedure will be repeated for this latest visit.

Presidents Are Only Human After All

Former US ambassador to Finland, Bruce Oreck, discussed the delicate subject of answering a call of nature. Everything is planned in advance to avoid any embarrassing situations: ‘I assure you that they have found out the location of every single bathroom. That is simply their job. Everything has to be figured out in advance when you’re on a tight schedule.’

Biden’s car, nicknamed ‘The Beast,’ is a modified Cadillac, fitted with tear gas grenade launchers, and night vision cameras. Reportedly, there is even a built-in fridge to carry blood that matches Biden’s blood type.