Bomb threat prompts White House press room evacuation

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest answers questions about an apparent bomb threat after evacuated journalists returned to the press briefing room at the White House in Washington June 9, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

WASHINGTON -- The White House press room was evacuated over a bomb threat after a phone call alerted the Metropolitan Police Department, said White House Spokesman Josh Earnest Tuesday.

The Secret Service interrupted White House spokesman Josh Earnest's televised news briefing shortly after 2 p.m. and escorted journalists out of the building.

While journalists were out of the press room, secret service officers combed the venue looking for explosives with the help of a sniffer dog.

A little more than 30 minutes later, an all-clear signal was given, and journalists were led back to the press room.

President Barack Obama and his family were not evacuated, according to Earnest.

The White House evacuation came within hours of another evacuation happening at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, located in the northeastern part of the Capitol Hill, after the US Capitol Police received a phone call reporting a package was found in a room of the building.

The Capitol Hill evacuation was taken as a precaution, which disrupted an ongoing hearing at the time. The police later investigated into the case but no result of the investigation is available so far.