Man held in White House security alert
AN intruder has been arrested after breaching security and entering the White House grounds, the US Secret Service has confirmed.
The man was carrying a backpack and was discovered by an agent by the south entrance to the executive residence.
The incident happened just before midnight on Friday while President Donald Trump was at the White House.
A source said the intruder might have entered the grounds on the east side before making his way over to the south entrance.
The White House was placed under condition “orange”, one of the Secret Service’s highest levels of security.
The man, who was not identified, was arrested and taken into custody.
No hazardous materials were found during a search of the intruder’s backpack.
A search of the north and south grounds of the White House complex found “nothing of concern to security operations”.
Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly was briefed on the incident.
President Trump was spending the weekend in Washington and was alerted to the incident late on Friday night, an administration official said.
He added that the President was not in any danger from the security breach.
There have been several instances of people trespassing at the White House over the last few years.
In 2014, 42-year-old Omar Gonzalez made it through the north portico doors with a three-and-a-half-inch folding knife in his trouser pocket.
He was apprehended just after making it inside the doors.
President Barack Obama and his family were not at the White House at the time.
Officers later recovered more than 800 rounds of ammunition, a machete and two axes from Gonzalez’s car.
Two years ago, college student Joseph Caputo, 22, was apprehended after scaling the security fence while the President and his family were inside celebrating Thanksgiving.