A small drone crashed on the grounds of the White House in the early hours of Monday without endangering anyone and US officials said they had identified the operator.
A person has come forward to take responsibility for flying the drone, a Secret Service spokeswoman said, without providing details about the individual.
The agency said the drone was being flown for recreational purposes when it breached the secure perimeter of the presidential mansion.
A White House spokesman said the device, known as a “quad copter”, did not appear to be dangerous.The incident may enflame the debate among lawmakers in Washington over the need for drone regulations.
The device, approximately 60cm in diameter, was spotted flying at a low altitude at 3.08am EST (08h08 GMT) before it crashed on the south-east side of White House grounds, Secret Service spokeswoman Nicole Mainor said in a statement.
Obama is in New Delhi for three days and His wife, Michelle Obama, accompanied the president. Their daughters, Sasha and Malia, and their grandmother, Michelle Robinson, stayed behind.“I don't have any reason to think at this point that the first family is in any danger,” Earnest said.
A member of the Secret Service's Uniformed Division sits in his car on Pennsylvania Avenue outside the White House January 26, 2015 in Washington, DC. A small aerial drone was found on the grounds of the White House but poses no threat, a spokesman for President Obama said on Monday.
US regulators are working to draft new rules for commercial drones used for farming and news gathering. The small remote-controlled aircraft also have become popular as toys, raising privacy concerns and safety issues after close calls with jets.
The Secret Service also has come under scrutiny after several incidents involving White House security. Its director resigned in October, and an independent review concluded that it needs to build a better fence and hire more officers.
It comes when The White House intruder who jumped a security fence and got inside the presidential mansion was carrying a knife, according to the criminal complaint obtained by Fox News and contrary to initial reports that the man was unarmed.
According to the complaint 42-year-old Omar J. Gonzales, of Texas, had a concealed black folding knife when Secret Service agents apprehended him inside the north White House door that faces Pennsylvania Avenue.
The US Attorney for the District of Columbia will review the case and decide whether to prosecute, the Secret Service said.