White House intruder quickly caught after scaling fence - Secret Service

An intruder late on Friday threw a backpack over the White House fence and then climbed over the barrier before being detained by Secret Service agents, a spokesman for the agency said.

A general view of the White House in Washington in this September 30, 2013 file photo. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas/Files

WASHINGTON: An intruder late on Friday threw a backpack over the White House fence and then climbed over the barrier before being detained by Secret Service agents, a spokesman for the agency said.

The intruder was detained immediately after scaling the north fence at the president's residence, Secret Service spokesman Robert Hoback said in an email.

The individual was charged with unlawful entry and transported to Washington's Metropolitan Police Department, Hoback said.

Hoback did not immediately provide the name of the person detained.

President Barack Obama was in Washington for a nuclear security summit on Friday and Saturday. It was not immediately clear if he was at the White House when the person scaled the fence.

There were no indications from the Secret Service that the intruder's backpack contained any weapon.

The last time a person jumped the fence at the White House was on Thanksgiving Day in November, when a Connecticut man wearing an American flag scaled the north fence and was quickly caught.

In 2014, an Army veteran carrying a folded knife climbed the White House fence and pushed his way into the executive mansion before his arrest.

It marked one of the most significant breaches of White House security during the Obama administration, and led to criticism of the Secret Service by lawmakers in the U.S. Congress.

(Reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington and Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

- Reuters