Unknown 'device' lands on White House grounds; no danger seen

[January 26, 2015]  NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The U.S. Secret Service has recovered a "device" on the White House grounds, which according to reports was a small drone, but there was no immediate danger from the incident, the White House said.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters traveling with President Barack Obama in India on Monday that the Secret Service - the agency that protects Obama and his family, and secures the White House grounds - is investigating.

Earnest described the object as a "device" but said he did not know what it was.

"The early indications are that it does not pose any sort of ongoing threat right now to anybody at the White House," Earnest said at a briefing.

Spokesmen for the agency did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Obama is in New Delhi for three days as part of a diplomatic push to forge closer ties with India, part of its strategy to "rebalance" U.S. defense and trade to Asia to counter a more assertive China.

His wife, Michelle Obama, accompanied the president. Their daughters, Sasha and Malia, and the first lady's mother, Michelle Robinson, stayed behind.

"I don't have any reason to think at this point that the first family is in any danger," Earnest said.

U.S. regulators are working to draft new rules for commercial drones used for farming and news gathering. The small remote-controlled aircraft also have become popular as toys, raising privacy concerns as well as safety issues after close calls with jets.

The Secret Service also has come under scrutiny after several incidents. Its director resigned in October, and an independent review concluded that it needs to build a better fence and hire more officers.

(Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Krista Mahr, Robert Birsel)

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