A fake 911 call that the White House was on fire sent emergency vehicles to the complex Monday morning, when President Biden and his family were at Camp David. Fire engines and other emergency vehicles responded to a report just after 7am that the White House was ablaze and a person was trapped inside, the AP reports, citing "a person familiar with the matter." Within minutes, District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services and Secret Service personnel determined that it was a false report and called off the response.
Someone who was reached at the callback number for the 911 report indicated they did not place it, the person said, suggesting the call's origin was falsified, or spoofed. Noah Gray, communications director for DC Fire and EMS, says the call was in the "same spirit" as recent "swatting" incidents that have targeted officials including special counsel Jack Smith, reports NBC News. Biden is set to return to the White House on Monday afternoon after spending part of the weekend at the presidential retreat in Maryland and participating in a service event in Philadelphia to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
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