Lockdown at White House lifted, suspicious package cleared near North Fence, says US Secret Service

The United States Secret Service on Tuesday placed the White House on lockdown due to an unattended package left near the North Lawn, according to ANI.

New York: The lockdown of the White House was lifted after about one hour on Tuesday afternoon after police determined an unattended package found near the north lawn was not hazardous, the U.S. Secret Service said on Tuesday. 

"@SecretService and @DCPoliceDept have cleared the unattended package near the north fence line of the @WhiteHouse Complex," the Secret Service said.

The item was discovered about 1:15 pm today in an area along Pennsylvania Avenue and Lafayette Park, just outside the security perimeter. 

After an hour, at around 2:15 pm, a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service announced that 'the package was determined harmless'. 

However, the owner of the package was yet to be identified.

Earlier, the US Secret Service issued a statement regarding the incident saying, "@SecretService & @DCPoliceDept responding to an unattended package near the North Fence of the @WhiteHouse Complex."

"Pedestrian traffic along Penn Ave between 15th & 17th and the area of LaFayette Park is restricted due to law enforcement activity," it said in another tweet. 

After the suspicious package was found, the construction work and landscaping on the North Lawn was put on the halt and reporters and construction crews were evacuated and told to go inside the building by members of the U.S. Secret Service.