Man tries to jump fence at White House, sparking lockdown

[February 08, 2014]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) — A man with two suspicious bags attempted to climb a White House fence on Friday before being apprehended, leading to a security lockdown of the White House grounds.

A Secret Service spokesman said the man was taken into custody and his bags were being screened.

"He did not make it over the fence," a U.S. Secret Service spokesman said.

The area around the White House was shut down and reporters were not allowed to leave through one of the gates because of the incident.

President Barack Obama was traveling in Michigan at the time.

(Reporting by Steve Holland and Jeff Mason; editing by Eric Beech)

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