Secret Service recovers drone from White House grounds

A small drone crash-landed on the grounds of the White House early yesterday, prompting officials to declare a security lockdown until they were able to determine that it posed no risk.

The device was spotted at around 3:08 am (0808 GMT) by a uniformed Secret Service officer on the south grounds of the White House complex, the US Service Service said in a statement.

President Barack Obama was not at the White House at the time, as he and First Lady Michelle Obama are on a three-day visit to India.

The secret service officer "heard and observed a 'quad copter' device, approximately two feet in diameter, flying at a very low altitude and ultimately crashing on the southeast side of the complex," the statement said.