President Trump on Saturday praised the Secret Service for apprehending a “troubled person” who had breached White House security late Friday.
Agents “did a fantastic job” in stopping the man with a backpack near the south entrance of the White House shortly before midnight, Mr. Trump said.
The intruder had scaled a fence along the south grounds.
“It was a troubled person,” Mr. Trump said.
The president made his comments to reporters at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, Virginia, where he was holding a mini-Cabinet meeting with senior White House officials.
The suspect was identified in court records as Jonathan T. Tran, 26, of California. He said he was there to visit the president.
“No, I am a friend of the president. I have an appointment,” Mr. Tran said when approached by an officer, according to a report released by the Metropolitan Police Department.
Mr. Tran told officers, “I jumped the fence.”
White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the president was made aware of the security breach Friday night. He said Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly “was kept aware of the situation the entire time.”
“Secret Service did a phenomenal job, they continue to provide phenomenal protection to the president and the first family, and the president was very appreciative of their efforts,” Mr. Spicer said.
The White House was placed on high alert late Friday after the man was discovered by a Secret Service officer, CNN first reported Saturday morning.
Authorities searched the man’s backpack as a precautionary measure and determined it didn’t contain any hazardous material, the agency said in a statement. A subsequent search of the White House grounds found “nothing of concern to security operations,” the Secret Service said.
The intruder was taken into custody, according to the reports, although his identity was not immediately known.
The incident is believed to be the first time an intruder has been arrested on White House grounds since Mr. Trump took office 50 days earlier.
Several individuals breached the White House grounds during President Obama’s time in office, prompting officials to weigh security upgrades to the White House perimeter less than a year ago.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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