The White House was partially evacuated early Wednesday morning after a drone reportedly entered a restricted area, prompting Secret Service agents to conduct a “sweep.”
North Lawn was evacuated as a precaution and a lockdown was put in place, but it was lifted a short time later, with no injuries reported from the incident.
Anthony Guglielmi, the chief of communications for the US Secret Service, explained the situation on Twitter on Wednesday and thanked people for their support as the agency carried out its work.
“Secret Service Uniformed Division and technical security teams conducted preliminary sweeps after a drone passed through a restricted area near the White House,” Guglielmi wrote.
“Thank you to everyone for the information and support as agents and officers work to assess the situation,” he said.
It’s not unusual for the Secret Service to take precautions such as lockdowns or evacuations during incidents like the one Wednesday morning.
In June, President Joe Biden and his wife, first lady Jill Biden, were briefly evacuated from their residence in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware after a small plane mistakenly entered restricted airspace.
The plane was escorted out of the restricted area and the Bidens were able to return home. Similar incidents have occurred at the White House in the past.
In May 2016, the building was locked down after a gunman approaching a checkpoint was shot by a Secret Service agent.
Former President Barack Obama was in office at the time, but he was not at the White House compound during the incident.