White House Reportedly Locked Down After 'Smoking Objects' Found Near North Portico

The White House has been locked down due to "smoking objects" found near the North Portico, an agent at the scene told Politico. According to a source from Washington's WTOP, the incident was a "minor" situation and not an ongoing threat.

According to the Secret Service, the disruption was caused by an object appearing to be a smoke bomb that someone threw over the White House fence Tuesday night, NBC Washington reports. The incident took place during what witnesses said was an Occupy DC rally outside the White House that consisted of about 1,000 protesters.

No arrests have been reported.

President Obama was out to dinner with the First Lady to celebrate her birthday and was not in the White House at the time of the lockdown.

Per Reuters, Secret Service spokesman George Ogilvie indicated that "appropriate measures" were being taken to clear the apparent smoke bomb. The report also explains that "members of the White House press pool were prevented from leaving the grounds."

This is a developing story... More to come...

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/17/white-house-lock-down_n_1211982.html

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