WASHINGTON (AP/WCMH) – A man who drove to a security checkpoint near the White House in a car that was deemed suspicious has been detained by the U.S. Secret Service.
The car was stopped around 11:05pm Saturday about a quarter-mile from the White House.
The Secret Service says it’s investigating. Two law enforcement officials told CNN that the man claimed to have a bomb inside the car. Officials have not confirmed whether there was any device inside the vehicle.
Republican President Donald Trump wasn’t at the White House because he and his family are at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, where he spends most of his weekends.
Earlier Saturday someone jumped a low metal barrier just outside a White House fence. About a week earlier a man breached an outer perimeter fence and scaled a vehicle gate to gain entry to the White House grounds, raising questions about lapses in security under the Secret Service’s watch.
___The Associated Press contributed to this report.