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An airspace violation was reported in Washignton, DC and the White House — the residence of the President of the United States — was placed on a lockdown
The US Secret Service says personnel at the White House were told to remain in place. (Reuters FILE PHOTO)
An airspace violation was reported in Washignton, DC and the White House — the residence of the President of the United States — was placed on a lockdown, local media has reported.
Fighter jets were scrambled in response to the airspace violation and the US Capitol and its office buildings were briefly evacuated. The concerns were over a small aircraft in the area. Officials say the plane violated airspace rules in the restricted area on Tuesday.
The evacuations were ordered as a precaution and lasted about half an hour. The US Secret Service says personnel at the White House were told to remain in place.
Capitol Police sent a notification of a potential threat shortly after 8:30 a.m., and the evacuations were ordered. People were allowed back in after about 30 minutes.
(With inputs from the Associated Press)
Prasanta Patnaik