Man in custody after dropping bag near the White House

Secret Service responded to claims of a suspicious package on the corner of Madison Place Northwest and Pennsylvania Avenue

The White House in Washington has gone into lockdown after a suspicious package was found on a road nearby. AP Photo

A man has been taken into custody after causing a lockdown at the White House in Washington, the US Secret Service said.

Washington DC police told The National that the Secret Service responded to a suspicious package in Madison Place Northwest and Pennsylvania Avenue.

The US Secret Service said on Twitter that about 2.45pm, a man dropped a backpack and tried to jump a bike rack along the pavement on Pennsylvania Avenue.

He was immediately taken into custody by Secret Service uniformed division officers.