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Suspicious Package Forces Partial White House Lockdown

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FILE - The White House is seen from outside the north lawn fence in Washington, D.C.
FILE - The White House is seen from outside the north lawn fence in Washington, D.C.

The White House was placed on a partial lockdown Monday after an unidentified woman threw a metal package over a fence on the north side of the property, officials from the Secret Service said.

Emergency responders, including a hazardous materials response unit, were called in to investigate. Officials say a protective sweep of the metal object showed it was harmless.

The partial lockdown occurred just hours after President Barack Obama returned to the White House from delivering a Memorial Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery in nearby Virginia.

The woman who allegedly threw the package over the fence was apprehended and taken away without incident. Authorities say the first family was never in any danger.

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