US: White House locked down after shots fired

There was a massive emergency police response after gunshots were heard near the White House, where President Donald Trump was working on a negotiating a deal with Iran.

The White House has been placed on lockdown after multiple gunshots were heard nearby on Saturday evening.

Benjamin Alvarez, DW's Washington DC correspondent, said that there is a "heavy Secret Service, police, and National Guard presence at 17th and H Street NW," just outside the White House.

Police have cordoned off the area, the AFP news agency reported.

DC Police confirmed the Secret Service was on the scene and urged the public to avoid the area.

What do we know about the shooting near the White House?

US President Donald Trump was at the White House at the time of the shooting.

He had said in a post on his Truth Social platform earlier on Saturday evening that he was working on finalizing a deal with Iran.

The Secret Service said it was working to corroborate reports that shots had been fired at 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue NW.

The director of the FBI, Kash Patel, said the FBI was supporting Secret Service agents on the scene.

It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties.

This is a breaking story and will be updated. More to follow...

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