An intruder who claimed he is a 'friend' of the president was arrested at the White House

An intruder carrying a backpack entered the White House grounds and was arrested by U.S. Secret Service agents at an entrance near the president's residence, CNN reported on Saturday morning, citing an unnamed source.

The intruder reportedly told Secret Service agents he was a "friend" of President Donald Trump, and that he had an appointment to see the president, reports The New York Times' Jeff Zeleny.

However, it was nearly midnight and Trump was not in the White House at the time.

The intruder was arrested and his backpack was searched and found to be free of hazardous materials, reports NBC.

The Secret Service released statement on the incident Saturday morning:

"Following established protocols, the south and north grounds of the White House complex were searched by Secret Service Uniformed Division officers. Nothing of concern to security operations was found."