A US resident of Indian origin drove a truck into security barriers surrounding the White House in 2023.
A Missouri resident and Indian national, Sai Varshith Kandula, received an eight-year prison sentence on Thursday for his actions. Court documents indicate that Kandula, motivated by Nazi ideology, aimed to “attack and destroy” the US government.
The then-19-year-old crashed a rented truck into the barriers, retrieved a Nazi swastika flag from his backpack, and was apprehended. The incident caused no injuries.
Prosecutors argued Kandula sought to “eliminate the democratic process and replace the government with a Nazi-style dictatorship,” even aiming to kill the US president. They noted his admiration for Adolf Hitler.
While no weapons were found on Kandula, the prosecution referenced the attempted assassination of President-elect Trump, suggesting that such intent could severely harm the American political system.
Kandula pleaded guilty in May to damaging US property. Besides the eight-year sentence, he faces three years of supervised release.
A lawful permanent US resident with a green card, Kandula, born in Chandanagar, India, was diagnosed with schizophrenia after his arrest. His sentencing memorandum suggests this condition directly contributed to his actions.
“He’s amenable to treatment, understands its necessity, and recognizes an illness produced the acts that led to his current circumstances,” his attorney, Scott Rosenblum, told the Associated Press.
Kandula’s conviction likely leads to deportation.
His case is not isolated; other US attacks stemmed from Nazi-inspired ideologies.
In May 2022, a Buffalo, New York, shooting, fueled by white supremacist beliefs and Nazi symbols, resulted in ten deaths.
In August 2019, a 21-year-old opened fire at a Walmart, killing 23. A manifesto revealed his support for white nationalist and neo-Nazi ideologies, targeting Hispanics in what he called a response to the “Hispanic invasion of Texas.”