US ambassador kept in the dark
Published February 11th, 2008
The U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom was accidentally locked inside a darkened British auction house.
The Mail on Sunday said Ambassador Robert Tuttle was inside Sotheby’s auction house in London Feb. 2 when the lights were suddenly shut off and the front door was locked.
Fearing a potential terrorist attack, the U.S. official’s bodyguards surrounded their client as a Sotheby’s official attempted to help them leave the darkened facility.
The group of confused men was ultimately able to leave through a rear door and apologies were made to the ambassador, the British newspaper said.
Sotheby’s spokesman Matthew Whiteman said the entire situation was likely the result of a lack of communication.
“The exhibition was closed, so our staff may have started to close some of the galleries around them,” Whiteman said.
“The protection officers were probably not aware this was happening.”
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