White House bomb threat: Man arrested after claiming to have bomb in car

A man is in custody after reportedly approaching a checkpoint near the White House in a car and claiming to have a bomb.

Washington, March 19: A car drove up to a White House checkpoint late Saturday night and the driver claimed to have a bomb in his vehicle, security officials told CNN.

There was no confirmation that there was any device in the vehicle but security at the White House was immediately upgraded. One person was in custody after the incident and the vehicle was being checked, the officials added.

Several streets around the White House were closed. It was the second scare at the White House on Saturday after a person earlier jumped over a bike rack in a buffer zone in front of the White House.

US President Donald Trump was in Florida at the time of both incidents.

In the first incident, the unidentified person was not able to make it over the fence into the grounds, White House spokesman Sean Spicer said on Twitter.

-IANS