Washington:
A 23-year-old man climbed over the White House fence and was attacked by Secret Service dogs before being arrested, officials said.
The intruder has been identified as Dominic Adesanya, 23, a resident of Bel Air in Maryland, a suburb of Washington DC.
He was unarmed at the time of his arrest. This was second such incident in less than a month.
“At approximately 7:16 pm on Wednesday, an individual climbed the North fence line of the White House,” Secret Service spokesman Ed Donovan said in a statement.
“The individual was immediately taken into custody on the North lawn of the White House by Secret Service Uniformed Division K-9 teams and Uniformed Division Officers. The subject is being transported to a local hospital for evaluation,” Donovan said.
Video of the incident shows a man wearing a dark shirt and white gym shorts on the lawn outside the White House being yelled at by Secret Service officers.
He briefly lifted his shirt to show his chest before a pair of Secret Service dogs rushed to the man and pounced.
Adesanya struggled with the animals, landing repeated punches and kicks. The man punched one of the dogs that attacked him, as seen in the video.
Eventually, a Secret Service officer grabbed the man to lead him away.
“Dogs got him,” the spokesman said, referring to the intruder.
Two US Secret Service dogs were taken to a veterinarian for injuries sustained during the incident.
The Department of Defense, including through the North American Aerospace Defense Command, will continue to monitor the situation closely and stands ready to assist our Canadian allies in the aftermath of these tragic events, Hagel said.
Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he is deeply troubled by the attack that took place in Ottawa.
“This was an attack against the heart of Canada’s government, an attack against Canadian democracy,” he said.
