US: White House put on brief lockdown after unauthorised aircraft breaches restricted airspace

The White House was put on a brief lockdown, reports said, on Tuesday after an aircraft suddenly entered restricted airspace in Washington DC, US. However, the lockdown was later lifted after security officials decided that there was not any 'immediate threat', following which unrestricted movement on the White House complex re-ensued.

After the unidentified aircraft entered the restricted airspace in the Washington DC area, senior security officials across federal intelligence agencies convened a 'national event conference' to coordinate and monitor the situation, a CNN report said, adding that some sources also classified the situation as an 'aircon', keeping in view the 'unauthorised aircraft'. Following this, all Capitol buildings were put on a brief lockdown and no one was allowed to enter the premises for a temporary period.

However, the lockdown was lifted after 30 minutes, when the security officials ascertained that there was no immediate threat. The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) asserted that the small aircraft, even though it violated restricted airspace, was not a hostile one, an AP report clarified. Further investigations are on.