The White House was reportedly locked down for a few hours last Friday afternoon, after an incident with a man carrying two bags, when he tried to climb the fence to approach the official residence and workplace of the President of the United States.
President Obama was not present in the building at the time, according to reports, because he was on a trip in Michigan.
The White House was immediately locked down and reporters and visitors were not allowed to leave through an entrance near to the attempted breach of security. U.S. Park Police nabbed the man before he got over the fence on the North Lawn of the Presidential building.
White House security searched the two bags the man was holding, but nothing suspicious was found, according to reports. The unnamed man was arrested and held in custody for further questioning.
President Obama, boarded Air Force One to return to Washington, shortly after the news of the attempted intrusion broke out, according to the White House Press Pool. However, it appears that it was on his schedule to return at that time and was not because he was overly concerned about the attempted intrusion.
According to White House security, the man was unarmed, but will be facing charges of attempting to enter the White House illegally and trying to cause a breach in security. However, had the man actually succeeded in his attempt to jump the fence, the outcome could have been drastically different because he would then have posed a serious threat.
President Obama’s two daughters were not present in the White House at the time of the attempted breach of security. However, possibly Marian Robinson, the mother of the First Lady, who also lives in the White House, could have been inside, although that has not been confirmed.
Some believe that the man may have been just trying to stir up trouble, because no other motive for the attempted breach has come to light and he was unarmed. Or maybe he just had a death wish, because if he had gotten further than he did, he would likely have been shot.
