The White House was locked down Tuesday night because of ?smoking objects? found near the North Portico as hundreds of protesters rallied outside the executive mansion, Secret Service officials said.
?We had approximately 1,000 to 1,500 protesters from Occupy D.C. on the fence line. There were no arrests but what we believe ? was a smoke bomb was thrown over the fence,? said Secret Service spokesman George Ogilvie.
Continue ReadingWitnesses said the Secret Service moved people from the area as they investigated what was thrown.
?Basically, we took the appropriate measures to clear the scene, working with the Metropolitan Police and Park Police,? Ogilvie said.
President Barack Obama was a few blocks away, having dinner with first lady Michelle Obama and friends to celebrate her 48th birthday at BLT Steak. The Obamas returned to the White House at 9:42 p.m. without incident, according to a pool report. The president generally arrives and departs from the South Portico, on the opposite side of the White House from Tuesday?s incident.
Charles Holsopple said he was at the Occupy vigil when the Secret Service and Park Police evacuated the area. He said he didn?t see anyone throw anything but heard from the enforcement officers that they were conducting a bomb sweep.
For a time before 9 p.m., no one was allowed to go in or out of the White House gates ? a reporter was almost kept inside by a Secret Service officer, who explained that smoking objects had been found but gave no further details.
Near the North Portico, a bunch of bright lights could be seen, along with a phalanx of Secret Service vehicles.
The Occupy demonstrators apparently marched to the White House following stops on Capitol Hill earlier in the day. During a rally against what was billed as ?a corrupt political institution,? four protesters were arrested ? one for assault of a police officer.
The last publicized major security scare at the White House occurred the evening of Nov. 11, when Secret Service officers stationed near Constitution Avenue reported that someone fired shots from a vehicle and sped off. A few days later, workers in the executive mansion discovered a bullet lodged between the broken glass pane of a White House window and a bullet resistant shield behind it.
An Idaho man, Oscar Ortega-Hernandez, was arrested for the shooting. He was indicted Tuesday on 17 charges, including attempting to assassinate President Obama.
Lockdowns at the White House are not uncommon. They?re typically triggered by something thrown over a fence, an unidentified object found on the grounds, or a report of an intruder on the property.
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