The White House was briefly placed on lockdown on Monday 9 November after two separate security incidents near Lafayette Park in Washington, DC, left two people in custody.

Just before 10 a.m., a sedan drove onto the sidewalk just north of Lafayette Park, at 16th Street and H Street NW, and crashed into an informational sign. Secret Service Police and National Guard personnel on the scene arrested the driver, who officers described as combative.

At almost the same time, a second man jumped over a security barrier about two blocks away, near the north-west corner of the park, and was also arrested by the Secret Service.

Trump inside as restrictions imposed

President Donald Trump was inside the White House at the time, preparing for meetings including one with the prime minister of Qatar. The Secret Service imposed a brief lockdown around the executive mansion while officers assessed the situation, and reporters covering the president were briefly directed inside the West Wing briefing room.

Restrictions on the White House campus were lifted after about 20 minutes. Roads around Lafayette Park were closed while officers worked at the scene, and the Metropolitan Police explosive ordnance disposal team swept the vehicle as a precaution. No injuries were reported.

No known link between the two incidents

The Secret Service said it was not immediately aware of any connection between the two incidents. Neither person has been publicly identified, and no charges or motive had been disclosed by Monday evening. Both incidents remain under investigation.

The sedan did not get anywhere near the White House gates, which are more than a block away from where the vehicle came to rest. The layout of the intersection, which forces traffic through a single cobblestone lane before a left turn onto H Street, makes it difficult for a vehicle to build up speed in the area.

Video posted online by a Washington Sun reporter showed officers surrounding the grey sedan, with smoke rising from its bonnet, as agents worked to remove the driver. In the footage, a female agent can be heard shouting at the suspect to get on the ground as officers moved in. The Secret Service said in a statement that the driver was combative with law enforcement but was quickly placed under arrest, and that the second individual who jumped a barricade was also quickly taken into custody.

The incidents came days after the Secret Service arrested a 22-year-old Venezuelan national near the White House the previous Thursday, according to reports, although officials have not suggested any link between that arrest and Monday's events.