News / Politics

Man with suspicious package outside White House arrested

Tuesday, 28 March 2017 3:32 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 28 March 2017 5:07 PM ]

The US Secret Service placed the White House on lockdown Tuesday due to a suspicious package.

The US Secret Service has placed the White House on lockdown after they found a suspicious package at the complex, reports say.

The Secret Service arrested a male suspect carrying the package and making "suspicious comments" near the White House at around 10:15 am on Tuesday.

The man was separated from the package and detained in a police vehicle, said an official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Roads around the White House were closed off and staff and media people were barred from entering the building.

".@SecretService investigating suspicious package near @WhiteHouse grounds. Road closures in effect," the agency tweeted.

The Secret Service said that it had established a "security perimeter" and was moving reporters and the public to a safe distance.

A Secret Service officer patrols the north lawn at the White House in Washington, DC, on March 28, 2017. (Getty Images)

The lockdown comes after a series of security breaches. This is the second time alarms have been raised at the White House this month.

On March 10, an intruder reportedly spent more than 15 minutes on the White House grounds before eventually being captured.

It was not the first time that a person entered the White House grounds. In one instance in September 2014, an Army veteran carrying a knife, climbed the fence and made it through the north portico doors, while the first family was not at the White House.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk

White House