Drone found on the grounds of the White House, operator identified

Drone found on the grounds of the White House in the early morning of Monday without causing any harm, U.S. offical said they had identified the operator.

The person has come to take responsibility for flying the drone, a Secret Service spokeswoman said. The agency said the drone was being flown for recreational purposes when the person lost control and 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 device, approximately two feet (61 cm) in diameter, was spotted flying at a low altitude at 3:08 a.m. EST (0808 GMT) before it crashed on the southeast side of White House grounds, Secret Service spokeswoman Nicole Mainor said in a statement.

Mainor said there was an “immediate alert and lockdown of the complex until the device was examined and cleared.”