The South Lawn of the White
House on Jan. 26, 2015. A device, possibly an unmanned aerial drone, was
found on the White House grounds during the middle of the night while
President Barack Obama and the first lady were in India. It was unclear
whether their daughters, Sasha and Malia, were at home at the time of
the incident with their grandmother, Marian Robinson. (Pablo Martinez
Monsivais/AP)
The man, whose identity has not yet been revealed, was detained by Secret Service agents for questioning. According to a federal law enforcement official who spoke to the Associated Press on the condition of anonymity, it was not immediately clear whether the man was simply using the aerial device to take photos or actually aiming it at the White House.
President Barack Obama is at Camp David and was absent for the commotion. Still, ABC News reports, the White House was briefly locked down and the traffic outside on Pennsylvania Avenue stopped while the Secret Service investigated.
Thursday's incident is the second this year involving a drone at the White House.
In January,
a drone crashed on the White House lawn after the National
Geospatial-Intelligence Agency employee who had been flying the unmanned
aircraft around downtown D.C. lost control of it. The 3 a.m. crash
startled Secret Service agents, but was it was ultimately determined to
be an accident and its clumsy pilot was absolved of criminal charges.