Intruder Breaches Security While President Donald Trump Is In White House
March 11 2017, Published 8:57 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump was in danger just before midnight on Friday as a man carrying a backpack reportedly breached security at the White House complex.
Trump was in residence—and the intruder allegedly told Secret Service officers who arrested him, "I jumped the fence," CNN has reported.
According to The Washington Post, the suspect was later identified by Washington, D.C. police as Jonathan Tran, 26. He reportedly is being charged and could make an initial appearance in D.C. Superior Court on Saturday on a charge of unlawful entry. The Post reported Tran has no prior criminal record or history with the Secret Service.
The man apparently never got near Trump and the President praised the Secret Service and used one of his signature words, "sad," on Saturday to describe the scary incident.
"The service did a fantastic job," the President told reporters during a lunch meeting with Cabinet officials at the Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia. "It was a troubled person. It was very sad."
The President is spending the weekend in Washington and was alerted to the incident late Friday night, an administration official said.
Later, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer insisted to reporters that they have full confidence in the Secret Service.
Still, in the wake of earlier White House security breaches while Barack Obama was President, the incident could add more controversy to the Secret Service as the agency has undergone various scandals.
And the White House was placed under security condition "orange," one of the highest levels of security for the Secret Service, an agency source told CNN.
The intruder, now reportedly identified as Tran, apparently scaled the fence and was discovered by a Secret Service officer by the south entrance to the famed executive residence, officials said.
Tran reportedly had a California driver's license and told Secret Service officers, "I am a friend of the President. I have an appointment," when approached, according to a report released Saturday by the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department.
When asked how he got on the White House grounds, Tran allegedly told officers, "I jumped the fence."
According to the police report obtained by CNN, White House security footage showed the trespasser jumping the face at the northwest courtyard of the Treasury Building, which is adjacent to the White House. The man was not detected, however, until he approached by a uniformed Secret Service officer.
In a statement, the Secret Service, which, as RadarOnline.com has reported, has previously been embarrassed by sleazy secrets being disclosed, said they had arrested the suspect "without further incident."
The President was in the White House when the incident occurred at about 11:38 p.m. and was informed about it late Friday night, an administration official said.
A Secret Service source told CNN that the backpack carried by the intruder was x-rayed before bomb technicians removed it from the White House grounds for further evaluation.
Extensive searches were launched on the White House grounds and nothing of concern was found, the Secret Service said of the security breach.
As RadarOnline.com readers know, President Obama's White House was breached by trespassers multiple times.
In the most shocking case, Omar Gonzales, 42, made it all the way to the north portico doors of the White House while carrying a knife.
In 2015, Joseph Caputo scaled the White House fence while the Obamas were inside enjoying Thanksgiving.
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