Man shoots himself dead in front of the White House

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The White House was placed on lockdown on Saturday after a man shot himself in the head in front of the building.

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The man died at the scene of the incident, which happened at 11:45am.

The Secret Service said no one else was injured. 

"The subject approached the vicinity of the North White House fence line and removed a concealed handgun and fired several rounds, none of which appear at this time to have been directed towards the White House," the Secret Service said in a statement.

The agency said they had identified the shooter but were withholding his name until they could notify next of kin. The Metropolitan Police Department will lead an investigation into the shooting with the support of the Secret Service.

President Donald Trump, who is currently in Florida, at his Mar-a-Lago estate, has been informed.

Hogan Gidley, deputy White House press secretary, said: “We’re aware of the incident. The president has been briefed.”

The security scare came a little more than a week after a vehicle hit a security barrier near the White House, resulting in the arrest and charge of a 35-year-old female driver. Tensions were heightened because Mr Trump was home at the time.