White House on lockdown over air space violation in Washington DC

The White House and US Capitol building were both put on lockdown after an unauthorized aircraft breached protected airspace over Washington DC, United States.

Fighter jets were scrambled and sent into the air to intercept the plane shortly before 9am EST on Tuesday morning, according to NBC News.

Staff working in both buildings have been told to ‘shelter in place,’ and the North Lawn of the White House was cleared. The lockdown on both was lifted again shortly after 9:10am EST.

President Trump is believed to be in Washington DC, although updates on his whereabouts have not been given.

Fox News reported that the alert was triggered by an aircraft moving east across the city, which violated protected air space.

The aircraft is not believed to have been hostile, although further details have not yet been shared.

The White House’s briefing room is currently locked, according to reporters on the scene.

A spokesman for the US Northern Command, which oversees defense efforts, said: ‘Senior officials across the interagency are monitoring the situation on a national event conference call.

‘NORAD Command aircraft are on site and responding. Plane is not considered hostile at this time.’

A Secret Service spokesman added: ‘The White House was locked down this morning due to a potential violation of the restricted airspace in the National Capital Region.

‘The lockdown has been lifted at this time.’

Airspace around Washington DC was dramatically tightened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, which saw Al-Qaeda terrorists fly a hijacked Boeing 757 into the Pentagon, killing 125.

-Agencies