Man arrested after claiming he had 'dropped explosives' near White House

A man was arrested and the White House put into lockdown after he said he had "dropped explosives" in the area.

A 33-year-old man has been arrested after the Secret Service said he approached one of its uniformed officers near the White House and claimed to have "dropped explosives" in the area.

The incident prompted officials to put the White House on lockdown for several minutes and close nearby streets to pedestrians.

The Secret Service says a sweep of the area did not turn up any explosives.

Ervin Pettaway was taken into custody and charged with one count of felony threats.

The incident began at 9.24am on Friday, 19 minutes after President Donald Trump departed the White House on Marine One to begin his trip to Asia.