Man in custody after claiming he ‘dropped explosives’ near White House

The Secret Service said that it took a suspect into custody near the White House on Friday morning after he told an officer that he had left explosives in the area.

The Service Service initially tweeted that the North Fence of the White House complex and Lafayette Park along Pennsylvania Avenue were closed due to the “suspicious activity.”

North fence line of @WhiteHouse is closed due to suspicious activity, Uniformed Division is responding.

— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) November 3, 2017

Update: subject is in custody, Lafayette Park & North Fence line along Penn. Ave. remain closed.

— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) November 3, 2017

{mosads}

The Secret Service later said in a statement that a man approached one of its officers from the Uniformed Division while he was on patrol along the north side of Pennsylvania Avenue near Lafayette Park and told the officer he had “dropped explosives” in the area.

Secret Service K-9 and Metropolitan Police Department bomb disposal teams searched the man and swept the surrounding area, as well as a cellphone the man dropped. No explosives were found, the Secret Service said.

The Secret Service said Ervin Pettaway, 33, of Washington, D.C., had been charged with one count of felony threats and was transported to the police department for further processing.

The incident happened minutes after President Trump boarded Marine One to leave Washington for his trip to Asia, The Associated Press reported.

Journalists and White House staff were instructed to remain inside the White House as the Secret Service investigated the incident, but were soon allowed to leave.

Updated: 1:08 p.m.