Secret Service arrests drone pilot near White House, causes lockdown

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Secret Service arrests drone pilot near White House, causes lockdown

PUBLISHED : Saturday, 16 May, 2015, 5:13am
UPDATED : Saturday, 16 May, 2015, 5:13am

Associated Press in Washington

United States Secret Service Officers stand post at a roadblock near the White House in Washington, D.C. Blocks around the White House were closed after a person was arrested trying to fly a drone. Photo: EPA

The US Secret Service has apprehended a man who was flying a small drone in a park outside the White House.

Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said the drone, which was about the size of an iPad, was flying on Thursday at about 30 metres over Lafayette Park, which is just across Pennsylvania Avenue from the north fence of the White House.

Leary said the operator was detained and asked to land the device. He said the man complied and that the officers recovered the drone in the park. The Washington Metropolitan Police Department swept the drone and declared it safe.

Leary said the man was turned over to the US Park Police.

The operator was arrested and detained and asked to land the device.

The incident occurred shortly after 1pm and placed the White House on lockdown for more than an hour. US President Barack Obama was away at the time, hosting a meeting with Persian Gulf leaders in the presidential retreat of Camp David.

From a photograph released by the Secret Service, which protects the president, the drone appeared to be a Parrot BeBop model, which is equipped with a high-definition camera for capturing video and photographs and is sold for between US$500 and US$900.

The drone appeared to be a Parrot BeBop model

The drone can stream images back to its remote controller over a wireless connection, allowing it to be flown for up to 11 minutes at speeds up to 70km/h even outside the operator's field of vision.

Its engines are powerful enough to carry just under 250g of extra equipment.

The incident comes nearly four months after a quadcopter drone piloted by an off-duty US intelligence employee landed on the White House lawn.

The Secret Service said at the time that the landing appeared to be accidental and did not represent a security threat.