White House men hold knifeman

A man with a knife and a pickup truck containing two rifles, a handgun and a bulletproof vest was stopped outside the White House and taken into custody by the US Secret Service, a Secret Service spokesman said today.

The man was stopped in a park outside the Southwest Gate of the White House because he was acting "suspicious," was patted down and found to be carrying a large knife.

Mackin said the man led officers to his Dodge pickup truck near the White House where they found an assault rifle on the front seat and, elsewhere in the vehicle, another rifle with a scope, a bulletproof vest, a Kevlar helmet and a handgun.

"The president was never under any threat and he continued his day without interruption," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.