Government
Toddler squeezes through fence in front of the White House
A toddler briefly entered the White House grounds and triggered the security systems. photo
© Patrick Semansky/AP/dpa
The approximately four-meter-high fence around Joe Biden’s official residence is supposed to keep intruders out. Now a curious child managed to enter the property. It wasn’t the first time.
A toddler has alerted White House security officials. A “curious young visitor” caught the eye of security officials along the fence surrounding US President Joe Biden’s official residence, the Secret Service, which is responsible for Biden’s security, said on request yesterday.
The child briefly entered the White House grounds and triggered the security systems, it said. However, the little intruder was quickly reunited with his parents.
There have been intruders before
Again and again unauthorized persons succeed in penetrating the property in the center of the US capital Washington, which is actually extremely well guarded. In 2017, a 26-year-old Californian climbed over the fence of the property at night and, according to media reports, managed to shake a door. It took the Secret Service a full 17 minutes to catch the intruder.
In 2014, an Iraqi veteran even managed to get into the White House after scaling the fence. The man was carrying a jackknife with a four-inch blade. The then head of the Secret Service resigned after the incident. The 43-year-old Texan was sentenced to 17 months in prison. Similar consequences are unlikely in the current case.
After the incidents in the past, the fence around the site was increased from a good 2 meters to around 4 meters and fitted with new safety precautions. It is not known whether, following the recent burglary, consideration is now being given to reducing the distances between the bars of the fence.