Roads closed and security beefed up as police check vehicle at White House gates for explosives

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A man is reportedly in custody after he drove up to a White House check point claiming to have a bomb in his car.

CNN said there was no confirmation of any device in the vehicle but that security at the White House had been upgraded.

Surrounding roads were closed as police checked the vehicle for explosives.

A statement from the Secret Service confirmed that a man had been detained at at White House check point at 11.05pm on Saturday evening and agents had “declared his vehicle suspicious”.

The service had “increased their posture of readiness”, the statement said. It did not mention any claims of an explosive device.

Images from the scene showed emergency vehicles swarming the area and a robot checking the boot of a black car.

Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) NEW: from the viewfinder of @abdallahcnn. A robot inspects the trunk of the suspect's car. Still parked outside the White House. pic.twitter.com/WJsr1gejYQ

Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) Here is the scene on 17th St. Firetrucks and hazardous materials units on standby near the White House. pic.twitter.com/XU8Fdo864B

Ryan Nobles (@ryanobles) On the other sides of the White House--15th and F likely near where the driver attempted to get onto the White House grounds. pic.twitter.com/s1qb1KyHQe

The CNN reporter on the scene said on Twitter that a member of the bomb squad was inspecting items in the car’s boot.

President Donald Trump was not at the White House at the time. He was spending the weekend at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago.

It is the third security incident at the White House in two weeks. On 10 March a man a scaled the White House fence and was on the property’s grounds for 16 minutes before being detained. The on Saturday a person jumped over a bike rack in a buffer zone in front of the White House but was not able to make it over the fence into the grounds.

This is a developing news story, please check back for updates