
A Missouri man, Sai Varshith Kandula, has been sentenced to an eight-year federal prison term following his attempted assault on the White House using a rented truck weighted down with a scheme to instate a Nazi-based dictatorship. The sentencing, which took place yesterday, stems from an incident that happened on May 22, 2023, when the 20-year-old from St. Louis tried to breach the security barriers at the iconic presidential residence.
As reported by the U.S. Department of Justice, Kandula, an Indian national with lawful U.S. permanent residency, launched his thwarted operation after renting a truck upon arriving in Washington D.C. from St. Louis. After fueling up and renting the truck, around 9:35 p.m., he careered into the barriers at President's Park, propelling pedestrians into a panicked scramble from the incoming vehicle. It was only after a double collision that rendered the truck immobilized, spilling its innards of oil and chemicals, that Kandula dismounted.
Officers from the U.S. Park Police and the U.S. Secret Service took Kandula into custody after he emerged from the vehicle, displaying a Nazi flag. "Kandula's intent was to replace the democratically elected government with a dictatorship fueled by ideology of Nazi Germany and for himself to be put in charge of the United States," as per the plea agreement quoted by the Justice Department. The attempted assailant admitted he would have orchestrated the killing of the U.S. President and other necessary individuals to fulfill his objective.
The attack left a trail of destruction costing $4,322 in damages to National Park Service assets. This incident culminated from Kandula's weeks of planning, which included failed attempts to procure an armored convoy and contact several companies for the rental of a large commercial vehicle to execute his plot. In a statement obtained by the Justice Department, it was revealed that his actions were a bid "to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion."
In addition to his prison term, U.S. District Court Judge Dabney L. Friedrich ordered Kandula to serve three years of supervised release following his incarceration. The case was a collaborative investigation effort by the U.S. Secret Service, the FBI's Washington Field Office, the U.S. Park Police, and the Metropolitan Police Department. Prosecuting the case were Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Schneider and Assistant U.S. Attorney Shehzad Akhtar, who managed to close this chapter on a potentially devastating attack on the nation's capitol.