A man has been arrested after breaching the White House grounds carrying a backpack, the Secret Service says.
Photo: AFP
The breach happened around midnight on Friday, local time, while President Donald Trump was in the building, the agency said.
The intruder was arrested without incident and no hazardous materials were found in the backpack.
Mr Trump and Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly were briefed on the incident.
The Secret Service said agents searched the grounds and found "nothing of concern to security operations".
Mr Trump said the Secret Service did a "fantastic" job in stopping the intruder.
The man was a "troubled person", Mr Trump said.
Intruders have broken into the grounds of the White House before by scaling the perimeter fence. They are usually handed over to local police.
In 2014, 42-year-old Omar Gonzales made it through the north portico doors into the building, armed with a 9cm folding knife.
He was arrested just after making it inside the doors, the Secret Service said at the time.
-BBC/Reuters