iNDICA NEWS BUREAU-
A man of Indian-origin has pleaded guilty to attacking the White House with a rented truck in May 2023 with the intent of replacing the democratically-elected government with a dictatorship fuelled by the ideology of Nazi Germany, according to a US attorney, India Today reported citing a PTI story.
Sai Varshith Kandula (20) of St. Louis, Missouri, crashed a rented truck into the White House perimeter, according to the plea agreement, and was attempting to gain access to the White House to seize political power.
US Attorney Matthew Graves on Monday said Kandula intended to replace the democratically elected government with a dictatorship fuelled by the ideology of Nazi Germany and for himself to be put in charge of the US, the report added.
Kandula admitted to investigators that he would have arranged for the killing of the US President and others if necessary to achieve his objective. His actions were calculated to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion, the Department of Justice said.
According to court documents, Kandula flew on a commercial flight from St. Louis, Missouri, to Washington DC in the afternoon of May 22, 2023, connecting via another airport on a one-way airline ticket. Kandula arrived at Dulles International Airport at about 5.20 pm and rented the truck at 6.30 pm.
He stopped for food and gas and then drove to Washington DC, where he crashed into the barriers protecting the White House and President’s Park at 9.35 pm at the intersection of H Street, Northwest, and 16th Street, Northwest.
After striking the barriers, the truck backed up in reverse, then lurched forward, striking the metal barriers a second time. He then exited the vehicle and went to the back of the truck. From a backpack, he removed a flag and a three-by-five foot red-and-white banner with a Nazi Swastika in the centre and brandished it. US Park Police and US Secret Service officers arrested Kandula at the scene and took him into custody.
His actions caused $4,322 in damage to the National Park Service and over $50,000 in damage to U-Haul International.