White House locked down after car trails Obama's daughters

In a major security scare, the White House was temporarily locked down today after an unauthorised car followed an official motorcade carrying the daughters of US President Barack Obama.

The sprawling complex briefly went into lockdown after the private car got onto a closed section of Pennsylvania Avenue behind a secure motorcade.

The motorcade was carrying Obama's daughters, Malia and Sasha, back to the White House.

The Honda sedan was stopped outside the northwest gate of the White House. The driver, Mathew Evan Goldstein, 55, had a pass to get into the Treasury Department, a building next door to the presidential residence.

The car was searched by District of Columbia police but nothing was found, US media reports said.

Obama was inside the White House at the time, with his schedule indicating he was meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry, CNN reported.

Goldstein was taken into custody and has been charged with unlawful entry, according to a US Secret Service spokesperson.

About one hour after it began, journalists inside the White House were told the lockdown had been lifted.

Due to tight security at the home of the President, even minor breaches can bring a lockdown.

In February, there was a lockdown after a man tried to jump the White House fence. Authorities gave an all-clear after checking his briefcase and taking him into custody.

A more intense situation occurred last October, when a woman drove a car with her 1-year-old child inside into a security barrier and Secret Service officer near the White House. Police pursued her and she was shot and killed by police near the US Capitol.