A teenager of Indian descent has been detained in the United States of America after it was claimed that he intentionally crashed a vehicle into a White House security fence. Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, allegedly informed officials that he planned to enter the home to “seize power” and “kill” US Vice President Joe Biden after being questioned.
Prior to 10 p.m. on Monday, Kandula struck security barricades on the north side of Lafayette Park with a rental U-Haul truck, causing many individuals to flee the area, according to The Washington Times. Kandula was then detained by US Park Police.
According to the story, nobody was hurt in the collision, which happened quite a distance from the White House gates.
However, the event forced the evacuation of the neighboring Hay-Adams hotel and led to the closing of surrounding roads and sidewalks.
According to a statement of facts submitted in federal district court in Washington, DC, by a Secret Service agent, Kandula, of Chesterfield, Missouri, hired the vehicle on Monday night immediately after taking a one-way flight from St. Louis to Dulles International Airport, NBC News said.
According to the paper, he drove the car onto a pavement outside the White House and struck a metal fence to the north of the White House.
Before being apprehended by United States Park Police personnel, the youngster placed the vehicle in reverse and struck the barrier a second time.
In a “green book,” Kandula reportedly revealed to investigators his six-month assault preparation timeline.
He said that his objective was to “occupy the White House, seize control, and rule the country,” it continued.
Kandula allegedly said, “I will kill the President if that’s what I have to do and I will hurt anyone that would stand in my way,” in response to an agent’s question about how he would usurp power.
According to the NBC News story, the document was attached to a criminal complaint accusing Kandula of destroying U.S. property worth more than $1,000.
According to the court filing, when Secret Service officials questioned Kandula about a flag with a swastika he took out of a rucksack, he reportedly said he had purchased it online because Nazis “have a great history.”
He said that he “admires their ‘authoritarian nature, Eugenics, and their one world order,” and named Hitler as a “strong leader” that he admires.
FBI agents were spotted entering and leaving Kandula’s house in the St. Louis suburb of Chesterfield on Tuesday, and friends found it difficult to connect the alleged attack with the “chill” adolescent they knew.
According to Capt. Daniel Dunn, Commander of the City of Chesterfield’s Bureau of Criminal Investigations, there are no records of any interactions between Chesterfield police and Kandula or requests for assistance at the family residence.
Federal authorities are in charge of the probe, according to Dunn.
Kandula was a member of the Marquette High School track team alongside Errion Barfield, who recalled him as quiet and humble.
In a Facebook post to NBC News, Barfield described the man as “nice and chill.” “Ain’t never expected him to do something like that.” Kandula was a resident of Chesterfield, a middle-class neighborhood approximately 32 kilometers west of St. Louis, which has a substantial South Asian community.
Kandula’s year-old classmate Pranav Nagila claimed he couldn’t understand how Kandula could possibly have a Nazi flag in his hands.
Nagila, who just completed his sophomore year at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, said, “I didn’t see him as off-putting or anything like that.” Simply put, “He just seemed like a chill person.” On Tuesday, Kandula appeared in Washington DC Superior Court, and on Wednesday afternoon, he is scheduled to appear for the first time in federal court.
Kandula’s acquaintance told the New York Post newspaper that he is concerned about his mental health.
“I feel like something… either has gone badly internally inside him or maybe between the family,” the former classmate who went to school with Kandula said. Aniket Sharma recalled Kandula as “the quiet kid” who loved tennis.
He was never willing to speak. And whenever I attempted to speak to him, it was always superficial small chat; never anything profound. Sharma added, “I always felt he was like a meek, bashful child.
Sharma, who is now a college student in Missouri, denied that Kandula was a white nationalist or neo-Nazi.
Kandula and his family shared a Chesterfield apartment building with Sharma for a number of years.
Sharma said that individuals criticizing his former buddy on Twitter had “never even met him.” Investigators also found duct tape, a bag, and a notepad with writing inside the car in addition to the Nazi flag, according to FOX 5 DC.
Researchers are looking at whether or not mental health was a factor.
