A person in the US called the emergency number 911 falsely claiming that there was a fire at the White House and that someone was trapped inside. According to NBC News, units from Washington's Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department responded to the call just after 7am (local time) on Monday, but determined that it was a false alarm. The outlet quoted Noah Gray, the communications director for the emergency services, as saying that no law enforcement team was dispatched.
He also called it a "swatting" incident, where someone makes a false report of a crime in progress to attract the police's attention.
The police are trying to find out where the call was made from. Meanwhile, President Joe Bide at Camp David in Maryland when the 911 call was made, as per NBC News.
The White House declined to comment and referred the question to Secret Service, which has not yet issued any statement, as per New York Post.
This is a fresh incident of "swatting". In the past, high-profile officials, including lawyers, judges and lawmakers, such as Marjorie Taylor Greene, also faced such calls.
In 2016 and 2017, about 2,000 fake calls, including those warning of bomb threats, were received by Jewish institutions, giving the perception of growing antisemitism, which many critics blamed on former US president Donald Trump.
A teenager was convicted in 2018 for making such calls. "I did it out of boredom. It was like a game," the teen had said claiming he earned $240,000 in Bitcoin in the process.
