Malia Obama's stalker held by US Secret Service after begging her to marry him

A man has been held by the Secret Service after allegedly stalking and proposing to former first daughter Malia Obama.

Barack and Michelle Obama's eldest daughter Malia, 18, was reportedly followed by a Brooklyn man the Secret Service accused of putting a banner up in the building where Malia interns, asking her to marry him.

Jair Nilton Cardoso, 30, had allegedly attempted to get into the White House on a number of occasions while Malia and her family were in residence there, and is also more recently accused of following the teenager around New York since she took up residence there.

On 10 April, Cardoso reportedly climbed to the fourth floor of Malia's work building and hung a proposal banner, sources said, before being removed by secret service agents, the New York Daily News reports.

And several days later, Cardoso allegedly attempted to gain access to the building Malia works at in New York, where he was refused entry.

Cardoso was later tracked down by the Secret Service, who took him to a psychiatric hospital for evaluation.

It is not yet clear whether stalking charges will be filed against the man, although his alleged actions were reported to the police after Cardoso was taken to hospital.