Shots were fired Saturday night near the White House in Washington, triggering a large police presence in the area, the FBI announced.

FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed the shooting. "The FBI is on the scene and providing support to the Secret Service, which is responding to shots fired near the White House," he wrote on X, referring to the service responsible for the close protection of the president and vice president.

President Donald Trump, who canceled all his travel this weekend because of the crisis with Iran, was present at the White House at the time of the incident.

A Canadian tourist, Reid Adrian, told AFP that he was in the area when "we heard between 20 and 25 bangs that sounded like fireworks, but they were gunshots, and then everyone started running."

Police cordoned off access to the White House, and National Guard troops prevented an AFP journalist from entering the area. Reporters who were on the North Lawn at the time reported on social media that they were ordered to run for shelter in the White House press room.

ABC News correspondent Selina Wang was recording a video for social media when gunshots apparently rang out. She captured the sound of the gunshots as she threw herself to the ground.

"It sounded like dozens of gunshots," she said on X.

A Secret Service spokesperson told AFP via text message that the agency was still gathering information about what happened.

Donald Trump, 79, has been the target of three alleged assassination attempts, the most recent of which took place on April 25 when a gunman stormed a security gate near the ballroom where the president was attending a dinner with the media.