Amos Yadlin was briefly detained at a London airport. PHOTO: Wikipedia.

Former head of Israeli military intelligence Amos Yadlin was recently detained briefly at an airport in London, Israel’s Channel 2 reported on Friday.

Although Yadlin was quickly allowed to enter the country, the reasons for the initial hold-up are still unclear.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, when Yadlin landed in London as part of a delegation from the Institute for National Security Studies at Israel’s Tel Aviv University, where he is currently the director. He was held along with former Israel Defense Forces chiefs of staff Gabi Ashkenazi and Dan Halutz and former ministers Gidon Sa’ar and Yaakov Amidror.

“We were part of a delegation sent for dialogue in the U.K., which I head,” said Yadlin.

“Everyone passed through passport control, but they delayed me for ten minutes. They probably had something on their computer they wanted to check,” he said.

Yadlin added that the British officials “did not say or explain anything, and after ten minutes they sent me on my way.” He said he was “detained for a few minutes, asked a few questions, but went on as usual.”

Yadlin has had a long and storied career in Israel’s political and defense establishment. He holds the rank of Major General in the Israeli Air Force, was formerly the IDF’s military attache to Washington, D.C., and has served as the head of IDF Military Intelligence (AMAN).

Last month, there was reports of concern that Shaul Mofaz, a former IDF chief of staff and defense minister, would be detained upon entering the U.K.