EXCLUSIVE: Hillary Clinton to visit Adelaide next week

Hillary Clinton is planning to visit Adelaide next week. Picture: AFP Source: AFP

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US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is likely to visit Adelaide for two days next week.

Police are preparing an preliminary security operation for the visit, which is likely to see sections of the city in virtual lockdown.

It is likely the details of any visit will be announced within the next 24 hours.

An advance team of US Embassy officials and Australian Federal Police have been in Adelaide planning the operation with senior SA Police and STAR Group officers.

Sources said the Clinton entourage - which uses its own US Air Force jet - is likely to be more than 100 people, comprising her personal staff, defence advisers and security detail.

Ms Clinton, one of the most heavily guarded public officials in the world, is in Perth for two days early next week for AUSMIN - Australia-United States Ministerial Meeting - with US Secretary of Defence Leon Panetta and Australian Government officials including Defence Minister Stephen Smith and Foreign Minister Bob Carr.

It is understood her likely visit to Adelaide is in a private capacity to visit friends, whose identity is unknown.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton responds to the release of emails which suggest that officials knew the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi as it was happening.

In 2002 her husband, former US President Bill Clinton, visited Adelaide to deliver a keynote speech at the World Congress on Information Technology.

In 2005 Adelaide hosted US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, who visited for two days for the AU! SMIN that was held at the Town Hall.

During that massive security operation sections of the city around the Town Hall and North Tce were put into lockdown to keep protesters at bay.

SA Police this morning declined to comment on any security operation surrounding a visiting official.

A US Embassy spokeswoman this morning said the visit had not yet been confirmed.