The Secret Service Has Detained A Man Who Drove Up To A White House Checkpoint Claiming To Have A Bomb

The White House faced its third security breach this month on Saturday, just hours after another incident involving an individual jumping over a bike rack in front of The White House. The later incident saw a “suspicious car” drive up to a checkpoint near The White House with the driver claiming to have a bomb according to CNN. This prompted the Secret Service to detain the individual before blocking off the area and searching the vehicle:

The incident occurred at 11:05 p.m. at a security checkpoint, the Secret Service said. Four hours later, the checkpoint in question remained blocked, but streets re-opened, and bomb technicians and other additional security personnel left the area.

The Secret Service described it as an “ongoing criminal investigation.”

The Washington Post points out that crossing the checkpoint does not instantly offer access to The White House. The White House is still a “quarter mile away” while the South Lawn closest part of the South Lawn sits “about 100 yards away.” The Secret Service was treating the incident as an ongoing investigation and would not provide further details.

Unlike last Saturday’s incident involving Jonathan Tran and his evasion of security for up to 15 minutes, President Trump was not at The White House at the time of the incident. The president is currently at the “Southern White House” Mar-a-Lago Estate in Florida for the weekend.

(Via Washington Post / CNN)