Missouri man sentenced in attempted White House attack with U-Haul truck

A Missouri man is facing nearly a decade of jail time after attempting a 2023 attack on the White House with a rented box truck. Sai Varshith Kandula, 20, of St. Louis, was sentenced on January 16 in U.S. District Court to eight years in federal prison for an attempted attack on the White House with a rented U-Haul truck on May 22, 2023.

According to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., the attack was aimed at overthrowing the democratically elected government of the United States in order to replace it with a dictatorship fueled by Nazi ideology. Kandula, an Indian national who was a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty to a charge of willful injury or depredation of property of the United States before U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich.

In addition to the prison term, Kandula was ordered to serve three years of supervised release. Court documents revealed that Kandula flew from St. Louis to Washington, D.C. on May 22, 2023, rented a truck at Dulles International Airport, and crashed into the barriers protecting the White House and President’s Park.

The crash occurred at the intersection of H Street, Northwest and 16th Street, Northwest, just after 9:30 p.m. Kandula drove onto the sidewalk, causing pedestrians to scatter, and struck the barriers multiple times before the truck became disabled. He then exited the vehicle, waved a large red and white flag with a swastika, and attempted to gain access to the White House.

U.S. Park Police and Secret Service officers arrested Kandula at the scene. He admitted to planning the attack for several weeks, attempting to gain access to vehicles or armed security guards prior to the incident. Kandula even tried to arrange for armed guards and an armored convoy from a Virginia security company, as well as rent a large commercial truck in preparation for the attack.

Authorities stated that Kandula’s intention was to replace the democratically elected government with a dictatorship fueled by Nazi ideology, with himself in charge of the United States. He confessed to investigators that he would have arranged for the killing of former President Joe Biden and others if necessary to achieve his objective.

The crash caused $4,322 in damage to the National Park Service, including repairing the metal barriers, oil and chemical removal, and spill cleanup. The case was investigated by the Secret Service, the FBI’s Washington field office, the U.S. Park Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia.

In conclusion, Sai Varshith Kandula’s attempted attack on the White House serves as a stark reminder of the threats posed by individuals seeking to undermine the democratic principles of the United States. His sentencing sends a clear message that such actions will not be tolerated, and law enforcement agencies will continue to work diligently to protect the safety and security of the nation.