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Man Scales White House Fence as Obamas Celebrate Thanksgiving Inside

WASHINGTON — A man climbed over a fence in front of the White House on Thursday as President Obama and his family were inside celebrating Thanksgiving, the Secret Service said.

The breach exposed how vulnerable the White House grounds remain after an intrusion in September 2014 in which an Iraq war veteran who was carrying a knife cleared the fence and sprinted into the East Room before being tackled by an agent.

After that episode, waist-high barricades were placed in front of the fence, and temporary metal spikes were installed on the main barrier in July. In addition, uniformed Secret Service officers are regularly positioned along the fence. A newly designed barrier is scheduled to be installed next year.

The service identified the man who climbed over the fence on Thursday as Joseph Caputo. Agents apprehended him on the North Lawn around 2:45 p.m., moments after he cleared the fence, said Robert Hoback, a spokesman for the Secret Service. Mr. Caputo is facing criminal charges, the agency said.

Officials did not provide Mr. Caputo’s age or hometown, and they said they had not determined his motive. He was draped in an American flag and was carrying a binder in his mouth as he scaled the fence.

Once inside the perimeter, Mr. Caputo raised his arms and dropped to his knees, before lying on the ground. The White House was placed on lockdown for about three hours, Mr. Hoback said.

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A version of this article appears in print on  , Section A, Page 22 of the New York edition with the headline: Fence Is Scaled at White House. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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