The White House and the US Capitol have been put on temporary lockdown following an airspace violation in Washington D.C.
According to law enforcement sources, the North Lawn of the White House was cleared as fighter jets from Air Force Base Andrews were mobilized on Tuesday.
“The White House was locked down this morning due to a potential violation of the restricted airspace in the National Capital Region,” a spokesperson for the Secret Service responsible for protecting the President and his family told media in a statement. “The lockdown has been lifted at this time.”
A small aircraft, which had violated airspace rules in a restricted area, had been the cause of the lockdown, according to officials.
The North American Aerospace Defense Command said the small aircraft was not considered to be hostile.
US President Donald Trump was scheduled to have the In-House Pool Call Time at 9:00 a.m.
Following that Trump was supposed to sign an Executive Order establishing the task force on missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives, whose number authorities say has increased and are at risk of both sex trafficking and labor trafficking and needs to be addressed.
The president was due to have lunch with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at 12:45 p.m.