Washington - A man carrying a black bag jumped over the White House fence on Tuesday but was immediately taken into custody, said the Secret Service.
The man was not carrying any weapons, said Jim Mackin, a Secret Service spokesperson.
The intruder jumped the fence at 1.53pm (18h53 GMT) near the north-west entrance to the White House. He was seized by uniformed secret servicemen and taken to the security office at the entrance for questioning.
Sniffer dogs checked his bag and the area for explosives and the man was later taken away in an unmarked Secret Service car.
"We have no indication why he jumped the fence, but we do get several of these incidents a year," said Mackin.
The president had left about 90 minutes earlier for a campaign trip to Kentucky and New York. - Reuters