Draped in the American flag, the intruder vaulted over the barricade of the highly secured premises during the Obama family’s Thanksgiving dinner; the lockdown was lifted after his arrest
Washington: The White House was placed on lockdown for a while on Thursday, after a man jumped the fence, while the first family was busy tucking into their turkey dinner. The jumper, who was draped in the American flag, was immediately caught and now faces criminal charges.
A bystander snapped pics of Caputo as he jumped the fence. Pic/PTI
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The man, identified as Joseph Caputo, was quickly stopped by Secret Service agents after he breached a barricade and jumped over the fence on the North Lawn that was recently refitted with 18-centimetre spikes to make it harder to vault over.
Lockdown lifted
The lockdown was lifted after Caputo was taken into the custody by the officials. This was the second lockdown at the White House in the past seven days.
"Today, at approximately 2.45 pm, Joseph Caputo scaled over the north fence line of the White House Complex, gaining access to the North Grounds. He was immediately apprehended," the Secret Service said. A bystander snapped photos of Caputo as he jumped the fence.
The intruder — who was carrying a file binder between his teeth — has previously hosted events calling for the Constitution to be scrapped and posted a Facebook status about Thanksgiving and the Constitution just hours before leaping over the fence. The security of the presidential mansion has been beefed up.
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