A man jumped the perimeter fence of the White House on Thursday, rattling nerves on the 13th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
Witnesses said he was quickly apprehended by two armed Secret Service officers who had scrambled to intercept him.
A Secret Service spokesman said the man, who was not named, was taken into custody.
The White House complex, as is standard procedure in such incidents was locked down and people were prevented from entering and leaving the grounds.
US President Barack Obama was not at home at the time.
