Man arrested after threatening Bush

A man was arrested and charged yesterday with making a verbal threat against United States President George W. Bush outside the fence at the White House.

"We had an individual arrested for making a threat against the President on the fence line," said Malcolm Wiley, a spokesman for the Secret Service. "He left behind a suspicious package." That prompted the area immediately outside the White House to be closed off to the public.

The Secret Service also closed off the north lawn outside the West Wing of the White House to reporters while the package was investigated but an "all clear" was issued.

Wiley identified the man as 28-year-old Aleksandar Aleksov and said he told authorities he lived in New Jersey. Bush was at the White House preparing for his State of the Union address.