Sai Varshith Kandula is an Indian-American teen who crashed a U-Haul truck into security barriers at Lafayette Square near the White House in Washington, DC on 22 May 2023.
Wiki/Biography
Sai Varshith Kandula was born in 2004 (age 19 years; as of 2023). He graduated from Marquette High School in St. Louis, Missouri in 2022. He did some certificate courses in data analytics with some prominent organisations including Google and IBM.
Family
Sai Varshith Kandula belongs to a Telugu family in Chesterfield, Missouri, United States.
Parents & Siblings
There is not much information about his parents and siblings.
White House Truck Ramming Row
On 22 May 2023, Sai Varshith Kandula was apprehended by police after his audacious act of ramming a U-Haul truck into a security barrier at Lafayette Square near the White House in Washington, DC. His radical intent was seemingly to “assassinate Joe Biden, get to the White House, seize power from the government, and be put in charge of the nation.” The post-arrest investigation unveiled that Kandula rented an orange and white coloured box truck from U-Haul, an American rental company, in Herndon, Virginia, upon arriving at Dulles International Airport after travelling from St. Louis on a one-way ticket at approximately 8:00 pm. After barreling the vehicle into the security barriers, he reportedly exited the front seat and started waving the red swastika-emblazoned flag before he was taken into custody. Investigators later retrieved a medley of items from the vehicle including the Nazi flag, duct tape, a backpack, and a notebook filled with written content.
A Nazi flag and other objects were removed from the truck
Reportedly, Sai Varshith, during interrogation, claimed his mission to the White House had been a success in the sense that he had conveyed his message to entities such as the United States Secret Service. He said,
Either way, whether I got into the White House or not, my message was received.”
When probed about his awareness of the consequences of his actions, he admitted that he had anticipated his arrest. Throughout the interrogation, Kandula referred to a “green book,” which he described as a vessel for his thoughts. He revealed that he had been jotting down his plans to breach the White House and his envisioned actions once in power in this green book. The U.S. Park Police levelled a range of charges against Sai Varshith including threats to assassinate, kidnap, or cause harm to the president, vice president or their relatives, assault with a dangerous weapon, reckless driving, trespassing, and the destruction of federal property. The formal complaint alleges Kandula caused damages exceeding US$1,000 to the White House’s external barriers.
A US Park Police officer while inspecting a security barrier for damage in Lafayette Square park near the White House
Facts/Trivia
- According to sources, Kandula looked up to Adolf Hitler as a strong leader. It is reported that he perceived the Nazis as having a glorious past, a sentiment he expressed during the course of the investigation.
- It is said that he participated in the student council during his sophomore year at Marquette High School.
- In an interview, Aniket Sharma, a friend of Varshith Kandula, provided some insight into Kandula’s personality. According to Sharma, Kandula was typically reserved and introverted. He noted that Kandula, who enjoyed playing tennis, wasn’t particularly communicative and their interactions were often brief. Contrary to the developing narrative, Sharma emphatically denied that Kandula was a white supremacist or aligned with neo-Nazi ideologies.
- According to his LinkedIn profile, Varshith aims to be a data analyst and is skilled in Python and Java programming languages. He has completed some certificate courses in data analytics with some prominent organisations including Google and IBM.