Suspicious package investigated at White House gate

A man who tossed a suspicious package onto the North Lawn of the White House today has been taken into custody, the US Secret Service said.

“This individual has a done a similar act in the past and he is in custody,” Secret Service spokesman Tom Mazur said.

The package was noticed just after US President George Bush left in his helicopter from the South Lawn – on the opposite side of the White House – for a trip to Wheeling, West Virginia.

A remote-controlled device was used to probe the package near a fence that runs along Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC.

“Normal security protocols are in place,” Mazur said.

The Secret Service secured the White House and raised its internal alert system by one level during the investigation, a Homeland Security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the review was ongoing.

Reporters, cameramen and photographers were told to remain inside the briefing room while officers investigated.