- Security forces flood the White House area.
- Police block access near the White House complex.
- The FBI joins the investigation near the White House perimeter.
Police and security forces swarmed the White House on Saturday night after shots were fired in the area, authorities said.
US President Donald Trump was in the White House at the time as he worked to negotiate a deal with Iran.
Police cordoned off access to the White House and National Guard troops blocked a AFP for the journalist to enter the area in downtown Washington.
“The FBI is on scene and supporting the Secret Service in response to shots fired near the White House grounds,” FBI Director Kash Patel said on X.
said Canadian tourist Reid Adrian AFP He was in the area when “we heard probably 20 or 25 what sounded like fireworks, but they’re gunshots, and then everyone started running.”
Reporters who were on the North Lawn of the White House at the time said in X that they were ordered to run and take shelter in the press briefing room.
alphabet News correspondent Selina Wang had been recording video for social media when the apparent shooting broke out, capturing the sounds of gunshots as she threw herself to the ground.
“It sounded like dozens of gunshots,” he said in X.
A Secret Service spokesman said AFP in a text message that the agency was still gathering information about the incident.
Trump, 79, has been the target of three alleged assassination attempts, the most recent of which took place on April 25 when a gunman stormed a security checkpoint near the ballroom where Trump was attending a media gala.
This is a developing story and is being updated with more details.
