'Don't point missiles at Michelle Obama'

'Don't point missiles at Michelle Obama'

The 'missiles' aimed at the hotel where the American First Lady stayed. Pic from www.mirror.co.uk

US secret agents feared a Royal Navy warship was about to blast Michelle Obama after it left its guns trained on her hotel room.

Spooked minders ordered the captain of HMS Edinburgh to stop pointing the Sea Dart missiles in the direction of the First Ladys five-star suite.

But the guns contained only blanks loaded by sailors during a ceremony to mark the death of a colleague on board.

A source said the agents told them: You cant point those guns at the First Lady.

But the minders were last night accused of over-reacting and they should have had known the Navy would not put anyone at risk, particularly the wife of the US president.

US Secret Service agents told a Royal Navy warship to stop pointing its missiles at Michelle Obama's hotel room

Former Royal Navy officer Mike Critchley, publisher of Warship World magazine, said: This is typical American Secret Service going over the top.

I would have thought that they could trust their British allies to not put a missile through the bedroom window of the First Lady. It is unfortunate that this happened at an extremely sad time for the ship.

Mrs Obama was on an official visit to Cape Town, South Africa, when the ship came into port with her ceremonial Sea Dart missiles on show.

As she was moored the guns could be seen pointing at the five-star Table Bay Hotel where Mrs Obama was staying.

HMS Edinburgh was at Procedure Alpha, a ceremonial routine, after 26-year-old Lieutenant Sara Hellawells body was discovered in her cabin days. A Navy spokesman said: This involved the drill missiles being on their launcher American officials did visit the ship. They simply wanted to know if the missiles were live. When it was explained that they were d! rill rou nds they went away content.

A White House spokesman added: We do not comment on security questions regarding the First Lady. Details have just emerged of the incident on June 24.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama last night ordered 100 special forces troops into central Africa to seize a religious army tyrant.

Human rights groups say Lords Resistance Army leader Joseph Konys violent rebels have left at least 300,000 dead and raped and mutilated thousands across the centre of the continent.

The White House has also accused them of seizing children to serve as soldiers, as well as turning youngsters of both gender into sex slaves.

The first batch of Obamas troops are expected to be deployed in Uganda, and then South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Congo. - www.mirror.co.uk