U-Haul drives bollards near the White House; Nazi flag found inside the vehicle. (Screenshot via WUSA9/YouTube)
A U-Haul truck slammed into bollards Monday night at Lafayette Park near the White House, allegedly driven by a 19-year-old who authorities say had a Nazi flag in his vehicle and faces charges of threatening against the first and second family.
United States Park Police said their investigation indicated Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, of Chesterfield, Missouri, “intentionally crashed” into the barriers.
“Kandula was arrested and charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, reckless operation of a motor vehicle, threatening to kill/kidnap/injure a president, vice president or family member, destruction of Federal Property and Trespass,” their press release states.
The incident happened around 9:40 p.m. ET Monday, on the north side of Lafayette Square at 16th St.
“There were no injuries to members of the Secret Service or the White House,” tweeted US Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi.
CBS affiliate WUSA recorded and photographed the scene as police removed a Nazi flag from the car and unfurled it on the ground.
NEW: Investigators have removed what appears to be a Nazi flag from the U-Haul, but have not provided any further details.
Here’s what we know: https://t.co/cXt81Ji2NA pic.twitter.com/jBsb1uPJA3
— Troy Pope (@troycpope) May 23, 2023
Shortly after President Joe Biden took office, the US intelligence community released a report stating that domestic violent extremists will “almost certainly” attempt violence and that racially motivated extremists are “most likely to carry out violent attacks.” massive attacks against civilians”.
Earlier this month, Biden echoed the findings of his intelligence community in calling white supremacy the “most dangerous terrorist threat” facing the United States.
“We know that American history has not always been a fairy tale,” Biden said in a speech at Howard University, a prestigious historically black university. “From the beginning, it has been a constant back and forth for more than 240 years between the best of us – the American ideal that we are all created equal – and the worst of us – the hard way. a reality that racism has long torn apart us in. It’s a battle that’s never really over.
This is a developing story.
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