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Sai Kandula charged in White House U-Haul truck crash, had Nazi flag
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A Missouri man with a Nazi flag planned for months to “seize power” and kill the president before authorities say he crashed a U-Haul truck into security barriers near the White House on Monday, according to newly released court documents.
Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, of Chesterfield, Missouri, told Secret Service agents he flew from to Washington, D.C., from a St. Louis suburb on a one-way ticket after six months of planning.
He wanted to “get to the White House, seize power and be put in charge of the nation,” according to charging documents. He also said he would “kill the president, if that’s what I have to do,” documents say.
Monday evening, Kandula rented a U-Haul truck, drove to the White House, crashed into a security barrier near the north side of Lafayette Square and waved around a Nazi flag that he pulled from a backpack, according to documents.
Kandula told police he brought the flag because “Nazis have a great history” and he admired their “authoritarian nature, eugenics and their one world order,” according to court documents.
He was quickly arrested by U.S. Park Police on multiple charges, and prosecutors charged him with damaging U.S. property.
There were no injuries or ongoing danger, and no explosives or weapons were found in the truck or on Kandula, authorities have said.
There were no red flags on Kandula’s vehicle rental record that would have prevented him from being able to rent a U-Haul, the company said. Kandula rented the truck in Herndon, Virginia, and had a valid contract in his name, according to the company.
More:Driver charged with threatening the president after crashing U-Haul truck into White House barriers
Chris Zaboji, 25, said he witnessed a driver smashing into the barrier at least twice. He used his phone to record the truck striking the barrier for the second time.
“When the van backed up and rammed it again, I decided I wanted to get out of there,” he said.
Video from WUSA-TV shows a police officer at the scene inventorying several pieces of evidence from the truck, including a Nazi flag. The news agency Reuters also published an image of a red Nazi flag with a swastika laid out on the floor by the U-Haul truck, along with other pieces of evidence.
President Joe Biden was briefed on the crash Tuesday morning, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
“He’s relieved that no one was injured last night,” she said.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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