White House area shut down after van breaches security barricade: police

Police officers secure the area as law-enforcement officials visit the crime scene of a shooting in downtown Washington, DC, on November 26, 2025. (AFP)

WASHINGTON: A van smashed into a security barricade near the White House early Wednesday, police said, forcing a shutdown of the area in downtown Washington during morning rush hour.
Police did not immediately release information on the driver of the vehicle that crashed into a gate at Lafayette Square, just north of the White House and typically filled with tourists and office workers.
Washington has been under heightened security amid the US-Israel war on Iran.