White House intruder arrested after unauthorised vehicle tries to enter complex

One person has been arrested after an ‘unauthorised vehicle’ tried to enter the White House complex, the Secret Service has said.

The vehicle tailgated another, which was lawfully entering an external checkpoint, the Secret Service tweeted around 6am on Thursday morning.

Officers stopped the vehicle and the individual was "immediately taken into custody". A number of roads around the White House were closed as a precaution.

It comes two years after a man was arrested for trying to jump over a White House fence while Donald Trump was believed to be inside.

That followed an even more severe security breach in 2017 when an intruder managed to peer through a window and rattle a handle at the South Portico entrance - known as the president's back door.

The intruder, Jonathan T Tran, was on the property for nearly 17 minutes before he was arrested and was seen hanging around outside hours before.

Mr Tran carried a back pack with mace and a letter for the President as he scaled three fences up to eight feet high to gain access.

Despite activating alarms, he was able to give secret service officers the slip at one security point by hiding behind a pillar of the East Wing entrance.