The U.S. Secret Service has sent a couple of tweets to advise that a Suspicious Package was found at the White House on Tuesday. Their first tweet advised that they were investigating the package found on the premises shortly prior to 10:25 a.m..
A further tweet confirmed that a suspect was in custody, but that the premises were on lockdown as the investigation of the package continued. A security perimeter had apparently been established and reportedly both members of the media and the public were moved to a safe distance at the time.
As reported by WESH News, Journalist Andrew Feinberg, a White House correspondent for Sputnik News, also sent a tweet to advise there had been a lockdown at 10:25 a.m.
after a suspicious package had been found. According to Feinberg's Twitter feed, 10 minutes later people were seen to be walking around outside. However, he said a couple of minutes after that everyone was ushered back inside the building.
Suspect detained for ‘suspicious package’ at the White House
Twitter continued to be the news platform of choice when Peter Alexander of NBC News sent a tweet to say Secret Service agents had detained a male suspect, reportedly with the suspicious package in question, who also, reportedly, made suspicious remarks. After all members of the media and visitors to the White House were removed from the North Lawn, Alexander said snipers could be seen, roaming around the property.
As for Feinberg, he continued to send tweets, including one message saying the lockdown had finally been lifted at 11:37 a.m. and that “all was clear.”
White House on lockdown at 10:25am for a “suspicious package” per Secret Service Uniformed Division officer
— Andrew Feinberg (@agfhome) March 28, 2017
People are walking outside now. I’m guessing there could be an “all clear” or something.
— Andrew Feinberg (@agfhome) March 28, 2017
Nope. Not clear yet. People outside were put back inside.
— Andrew Feinberg (@agfhome) March 28, 2017
BREAKING: White House North Lawn reopened after Secret Service detains male suspect -- with a package -- who made suspicious comments.
— Peter Alexander (@PeterAlexander) March 28, 2017
As reported by the Washington Post, authorities would not say what the suspicious package contained and the suspect’s name has not, as yet, been released.
Comedy of errors as everyone wants in at the White House
The latest incident is just one of many in recent days in what appears to be becoming a comedy of errors. The first was a man who jumped the White House fence on March 10, carrying two cans of mace and a letter addressed to U.S. President Donald Trump about "Russian hackers." Another man jumped one of the bicycle racks on March 18 in an attempt to get into the grounds, but failed to jump the actual fence.
Another man was arrested after a "bomb scare" at the White House that same night, while Trump was away at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Marci Wahl, woman accused of twice scaling White House fence this week, pleads NOT GUILTY to contempt of court charges. Sketch by: B Hennesy pic.twitter.com/Qv9pxfoTch
— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) March 27, 2017
In the last week, a woman has also attempted to access the White House on three occasions. Marci Wahl, 38, of Everett, Wash., tried to climb over the fence on March 21, but had a problem and was reportedly left dangling by her shoelaces. She told Secret Service officers that she wished to speak with Trump. After being given a stay-away order, Wahl was seen in the Lafayette Square area close to the grounds on March 24.
She was then taken into custody for violation of the stay away order.
This apparently didn’t deter Wahl, who was taken into custody again at around 2:15 a.m on Sunday after climbing the fence at the corner of the Treasury Building closest to the White House. Wahl reportedly had a backpack that was checked by an explosives team but was found to contain nothing of any danger.
