A 20-year-old Indian-origin man in the United States pleaded guilty to crashing a truck near the White House last May. His intention was to overthrow the country’s government and establish a dictatorship inspired by Nazi ideology.
Sai Varshith Kandula (20), originally from St. Louis, Missouri, intentionally drove a rented truck into the White House perimeter. His goal was to breach the security and seize political control.
US District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich has set the sentencing date for August 23.
According to US Attorney Matthew Graves, Kandula aimed to overthrow the democratically elected government and establish a Nazi-inspired dictatorship, with himself at the helm.
During the investigation, Kandula confessed that he would have orchestrated the assassination of the US President and other individuals if it was necessary to accomplish his goal.
According to the Department of Justice, his actions were deliberately intended to impact government conduct through intimidation or coercion.
Based on court records, Kandula traveled from St. Louis, Missouri, to Washington DC on a commercial flight in the afternoon of May 22, 2023. He connected through another airport on a one-way airline ticket. Upon arriving at Dulles International Airport around 5:20 pm, he proceeded to rent a truck at 6:30 pm.
After making stops for food and gas, he drove to Washington DC and collided with the barriers safeguarding the White House and President’s Park at the intersection of H Street, Northwest, and 16th Street, Northwest around 9:35 pm.
Kandula drove onto the sidewalk, causing pedestrians to flee. Following the initial collision with the barriers, the truck reversed and then surged forward, striking the metal barriers once more. The second impact rendered the truck inoperable, with smoke emanating from the engine compartment and fluids leaking.
After leaving the vehicle, Kandula went to the back of the truck. He retrieved a flag and a three-by-five-foot red-and-white banner featuring a Nazi Swastika at its center. US Park Police and US Secret Service officers promptly apprehended Kandula and took him into custody.
According to federal prosecutors, the individual’s actions resulted in $4,322 of damage to the National Park Service and over $50,000 of damage to U-Haul International. These costs encompassed repairs to the metal bollard barriers, ensuring structural integrity, oil and chemical cleanup, and disposal of fluids from the crashed U-Haul, as well as the replacement cost of the destroyed U-Haul truck.
Before crashing the rented truck into the White House grounds, Kandula meticulously planned the attack over several weeks. During this time, he repeatedly tried to gain access to vehicles or armed security guards. For instance, on April 22, 2023, he requested 25 armed guards and an armored convoy from a security company based in Virginia.
On May 4, 2023, Kandula made multiple attempts to rent a large commercial tractor-trailer truck, a dump truck, or another sizable vehicle. However, he was unable to secure security guards or any of the requested vehicles. His intention was to use these resources to carry out an offense against the US Government.
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