Man arrested after breaching White House grounds



03/11/17 11:20 AM EST

A man with a backpack was arrested late Friday after breaching the White House grounds, the Secret Service said in a statement Saturday.

The intruder was discovered by a Secret Service agent on the South Grounds, close to the south entrance to the executive residence.

The incident occurred shortly before midnight on Friday, while President Trump was in the White House, according to CNN.Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly was briefed on the incident, according to the Washington Post.

Trump praised the Secret Service for stopping the intruder, telling reporters as he began a meeting with Cabinet officials at a golf club he owns in Virginia that the agents did a "fantastic job," according to Reuters.

The president called the intruder a "troubled person," Reuters reported.

The White House was reportedly placed under the security alert level "orange," one of the highest alert levels.

Authorities said that the man scaled the perimeter fence by East Executive Avenue and the Treasury Building.

Secret Service Uniformed Division Officers made the arrest without incident, the Secret Service’s statement said.

A thorough search of the intruder's backpack revealed no hazardous materials.

The Secret Service also proceeded to search the north and south grounds of the White House complex.

"Nothing of concern to security operations was found," the statement read.

Updated at 1:37 p.m.

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Bradd Jaffy ✔ @BraddJaffy

Secret Service statement on White House grounds intruder incident
9:09 AM - 11 Mar 2017

Secret Service statement on White House grounds intruder incident

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http://thehill.com/homenews/news/323...-house-grounds