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Device found on White House grounds but officials say it posed no threat Device found on White House grounds but officials say it posed no threat
(about 1 hour later)
NEW DELHI — A device was found on the grounds of the White House early Monday, but officials said it did not pose a threat. NEW DELHI — A “device” was found on the grounds of the White House early Monday, but officials said it did not pose a threat.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest, speaking to reporters in New Delhi, said the Secret Service recovered the device and were investigating. He gave no further details.White House press secretary Josh Earnest, speaking to reporters in New Delhi, said the Secret Service recovered the device and were investigating. He gave no further details.
The Reuters news agency, citing unconfirmed reports, described the device as a small drone. But there was no immediate word from authorities. The Associated Press and Reuters news agencies, citing unconfirmed reports, described the object as possibly a small drone. But there was no immediate word from authorities.
Earnest said the device did not pose an ongoing threat to the building or the first family. President Obama and First Lady Michele Obama were in India. Secret Service officials did not immediately respond to questions about a possible drone. American officials, however, also did not dismiss speculation that it was some type of unmanned aerial device.
Around 5 a.m., authorities could be seen searching the White House grounds with flashlights. Earnest said the device did not pose a threat to the building or the first family. President Obama and first lady Michele Obama were in India, but were not accompanied by their daughters Sasha and Malia.
It was not immediately clear whether the girls were at the White House when the device was discovered before dawn. They were under the care of their grandmother, who also lives at the White House.
“There is a device that has been recovered by the Secret Service at the White House,” Earnest said when asked if a drone was found. “The early indications are that it does not pose any sort of ongoing threat to anybody at the White House.”
Around 5 a.m., authorities could be seen searching the White House grounds with flashlights. Investigators continued the search after sunrise as a light snow fell.
The incident comes after a series of lapses in security at the White House and a shakeup in the leadership at the Secret Service.The incident comes after a series of lapses in security at the White House and a shakeup in the leadership at the Secret Service.
In September, a knife-wielding man scaled the fence at the White House and ran through much of the mansion’s main floor. An armed private security contractor in Atlanta also boarded an elevator with Obama that same month.In September, a knife-wielding man scaled the fence at the White House and ran through much of the mansion’s main floor. An armed private security contractor in Atlanta also boarded an elevator with Obama that same month.
In a series of reports, the Post disclosed how the Secret Service failed to respond well after a gunman shot at the White House in 2011. That incident raised major concerns among lawmakers.In a series of reports, the Post disclosed how the Secret Service failed to respond well after a gunman shot at the White House in 2011. That incident raised major concerns among lawmakers.
Dana Hedgpeth and Carol D. Leonnig in Washington contributed to this report. The Secret Service has been concerned about drones entering the White House airspace. In the past, the agency has had internal discussions about the specific risks of drones carrying explosives.
Despite the post 9-11 efforts to secure the airspace around the White House, drones still present a problem because radar often does not spot their movement. A three-mile area around the White House, called the P56 zone, is a permanent no-fly zone. All pilots are warned to steer clear though standard “notices to airmen,” and are given emergency alerts if they come close to crossing the line.
The risk to the White House from airborne threats is nothing new.
A pilot who stole a plane crashed onto the South Lawn of the White House in 1994, and after 9/11, and investigators’ belief that terrorists had intended crash a plane into the White House, the Service has kept even closer track of air travel around the compound.
Leonnig reported from Washington. Dana Hedgpeth and Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.