The White House was locked down on Tuesday night as authorities investigated what appeared to be a smoke bomb that was tossed over the fence of the White House compound.
More than 1,000 Occupy protesters had been holding a rally outside the White House when the device was propelled over a fence on the north side of the building.George Ogilvie, a spokesman for the US Secret Service, said the suspected smoke bomb was thrown after the majority of demonstrators had left.A small amount of smoke is believed to have been dispersed from the projectile and police pushed protesters back so they could perform a thorough sweep of the area.
People inside the White House were initially prevented from leaving but were later released through a side exit.President Obama and wife Michelle were not inside the White House at the time but returned while the investigation was under way. There were no arrests, according to the Secret Service.Last night, police had cordoned off a section in front of the White House following the disturbance, while they worked to clear away debris from the device.
Charles Holsopple, who mans a 24-hour vigil protest outside the north face of the White House, told The Daily Telegraph: “There were around 1000 people here and in all the commotion we couldn’t see the smoke bomb but it filtered back that something had been thrown over the fence of the White House.
“The police made a moderate show of force with around 30 police with batons and helmets but no shields. There wasn’t any confrontation.”President Obama and wife Michelle had been celebrating Mrs Obama’s 48th birthday at a dinner party when the device was thrown.Four people were arrested earlier in the day as hundreds of Occupy demonstrators converged outside Capitol Hill. – Thetelegraph
