WASHINGTON — Sai Varshth Kandula, a 19-year-old Indian origin man from Missouri was arrested in Washington after he drove his rented box truck and crashed into security barriers at the Lafayette Square, near the White House on Monday night.
Sai Varshth Kandula, who the Police believe intentionally crashed the U-Haul truck into a security barrier at a park across the White House, was a Nazi admirer. He also waved around a Nazi flag on culmination of his six-mont plan to “seize power” from the government, the authorities said on Tuesday.
According to the charges, Kandula later told the Secret Service that he had flown from St. Louis on a one-way ticket the night of the incident. He wanted to “get to the White House, seize power, and be put in charge of the nation”. Kandula also said he would “kill the president” if that’s what he has to do.
President Joe Biden’s exact location at the time of the crash just before 10pm (0200 GMT Tuesday) was unclear. He had met Speaker of the House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy at the White House earlier on Monday evening.
Kandula faces a battery of charges, including threatening to kill, kidnap or inflict harm on the president, vice president or a family member, the US Park Police said in a statement. No weapons were found inside the truck, a police spokesperson said.
ABC News, citing unnamed law enforcement sources, reported that Kandula told investigators he wanted to take over the government and kill the president. Authorities were looking into the suspect’s mental health, the network reported.
On Tuesday morning, there was little sign of the incident other than a black skid mark on a curb, a few Park rangers surveying the scene and some remaining TV crews.
The crash took place across the street from the Hay-Adams hotel and St John’s Episcopal Church, two of Washington’s historic sites. — Agencies
