Intruder scaled fence to enter White House grounds Friday night

thinkstock_031117_wh
thinkstock_031117_wh

iStock/Thinkstock

iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) —  An intruder scaled a fence to breach White House grounds Friday night.

The individual scaled the South Grounds fence at the White House at approximately 11:38 p.m., the U.S. Secret Service said in a statement Saturday. The intruder who was carrying a backpack was arrested by Secret Service officers, who also searched the backpack as a precautionary measure.

The backpack was found to be free of any hazardous materials, according to the Secret Service statement.

The president, who had no public events Friday night, was at the White House at the time.

The south and north grounds of the White House complex were then searched by Secret Service officers who found nothing of concern to security operations.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly was fully briefed on the incident, the statement said.

Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.