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Washington: A motorist was detained by the Secret Service late on Saturday night after driving a vehicle that appeared to be suspicious up to a checkpoint near the White House.
An "on-going criminal investigation" was under way, a Secret Service spokesperson said on Sunday.
26-year-old Jonathan Tran, who scaled the White House fence last week was on the property's grounds for 16 minutes before he was detained, the US Secret Service said in a statement.
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26-year-old Jonathan Tran, who scaled the White House fence last week was on the property's grounds for 16 minutes before he was detained, the US Secret Service said in a statement.
The vehicle was driven about 11.05pm to a Secret Service checkpoint in the south-east corner of an outer perimeter that encloses the grounds of the White House.
The spokesperson said the driver was detained after officers declared the vehicle suspicious.
Driving through the checkpoint does not offer access to the White House grounds. The closest part of the South Lawn is about 90 metres away. The White House itself is about 400 metres away.
The checkpoint is north-west of the Department of Commerce and south of the statue of General William T. Sherman and the Treasury Department.
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It was not clear what caused the motorist to be detained or the vehicle to be declared suspicious.
A search of the vehicle is a standard practice in such situations. How long a search might require was not known. Commonly, authorities look for weapons or explosives or both.
US Secret Service officers in the cordoned-off Lafayette Park on Sunday after a security incident at a White House checkpoint on Saturday. Photo: AP
Because of the ongoing investigation, the spokesperson said no further details would be provided.
Two people this month have been taken into custody and accused of trying to breach White House security. The more recent event took place earlier on Saturday when someone climbed over a crowd-control barrier outside the White House. After that incident, it was reported that President Donald Trump was not in the White House, but had gone to Florida.
The 15th and E Street checkpoint involved on Saturday night figured in a fatal incident in 2013 when a woman who drove into that checkpoint was later shot by law enforcement officers near the US Capitol.