Following Newsweek’s report this week that the extent of Israeli espionage operations in the US was “sobering” and “shocking,” and a follow-up article alleging that Israel’s aggressive spying activities are routinely covered up because of Jerusalem’s powerful connections in Congress, new details emerged involving a former vice president, an unexpected hotel room visitor and a private moment in the loo.

According to a former senior US intelligence agent who spoke to Newsweek, when Al Gore was vice president, a surprise guest was hiding in an air duct in his hotel room during a trip to Israel 16 years ago — an alleged Israeli spy. The source detailed how after Secret Service agents swept the room, clearing it, one of the men stayed behind for a private bathroom moment before Gore was to arrive, when he heard a sound.