A senior United States Air Force officer has left the United Kingdom while facing US military charges relating to indecent images of children. Lieutenant Colonel Michael Morris, an assistant military attaché at the US Embassy in London, left the UK in August 2026 on a civilian flight, before British police questioned him.

What the police and the Air Force have said

The Metropolitan Police said US authorities made them aware on Tuesday 25 August 2026 of an investigation into suspected offences relating to indecent images of children, and that the two sides have liaised regularly since. The US Air Force said charges have been preferred against Lt Col Morris, now assigned to the Air Force District of Washington, with a military hearing scheduled for November 2026 at Joint Base Andrews, near Washington DC. The charges and evidence will be reviewed to decide whether the case is referred to a court-martial; a plea would only follow if it is referred.

What has not been established

Charges are merely allegations, and Lt Col Morris is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. No conviction or court-martial referral has been reported. One account described a cargo plane, but that claim is not adopted here; the verified account is a civilian flight in August 2026. He was not a diplomat in formal terms, although he was understood to have had protection associated with diplomatic status. No UK government announcement of the departure has been verified.

A linked case in the United States

Investigators have alleged that his brother, Benjamin Morris, 33, shared child sexual abuse material with him. Benjamin Morris faces trial in Illinois on possession and dissemination charges, which he denies, relating to March–April 2026 — a separate case.

Sources: Press Association via Wandsworth Times; Military.com reporting the BBC.