By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON 

A “secure perimeter” was established around the White House on Tuesday after a man carrying a package made “suspicious comments”, an official said.

The security scare forced the closure of a nearby park and adjacent streets.

“Security perimeter established & members of the public & media are being moved to safe a distance,” the Secret Service tweeted.

A man approached a uniformed Secret Service officer at 10.15 a.m. local time (0615GMT) carrying a package and made the comments, a spokesman for the service told reporters at the White House.

The package was taken and the suspect was taken into custody.

Explosives teams are currently at the scene and tours of the White House have been suspended.

Tuesday's incident is the latest security scare for the executive mansion since President Donald Trump came into office.

A number of individuals have been caught jumping the fence that runs along the White House's outer perimeter.

One intruder, Marci Anderson Wahl, was arrested a third time early Sunday after she scaled a fence at the southeast corner of the Treasury building, which is just east of the White House.

She was previously arrested last Tuesday after trying to scale the fence before being rearrested on Friday for allegedly violating a court order to stay away from the area.