19-year-old accused of driving into White House barricade, threatening to kill the president

WASHINGTON — A D.C. judge declared the Missouri 19-year-old man who allegedly rammed into a White House barricade with a U-Haul and threatened the nation’s top leaders a significant threat to the community. As such, Sai Varshith Kandula was ordered held without bond pending a hearing in federal court Wednesday. 

Kandula appeared briefly in court Tuesday afternoon, wearing shorts, a t-shirt and handcuffs. His eyes down, his image was a sharp contrast from Monday night's frenzy. 

After ramming the barricades in Lafayette Square repeatedly, the Secret Service says Kandula told them he wanted to take over the government and threatening President Joe Biden. Law enforcement sources said he climbed out of the U-Haul truck waving a Nazi flag and said that he wanted to kill the president and seize power.

“Everybody is thinking the worst," witness Alexander Garcia said. "I hope it’s not the worst. But you have to be aware of what it might be." 

Secret Service and Park Police arrested Kandula and charged him with threatening to kill, kidnap, or inflict harm on the president, as well as assault with a dangerous weapon, destruction of property and other charges.

They searched the U-Haul with robots, finding a backpack and a notebook scrawled with handwritten notes detailing his plans going back at least six months. But the back of the truck appeared to be empty, with just a dolly inside. The Secret Service say there were no explosives.

A LinkedIn Profile for Kandula said he just graduated from high school last year and was unemployed, but hoping to find a job in data analytics.

Law enforcement sources say he flew from his home near St. Louis to Dulles, where he rented the U-Haul and drove to the White House. Kandula allegedly told investigators that “Nazis have a great history" and that he looked up to Hitler as “a strong leader.”

The White House and the Capitol have long been magnets for people struggling with their mental health, and sources say that may have been an issue related to this crash. Kandula will appear before a federal magistrate Wednesday.