Missouri man pleads guilty to crashing truck into White House security barriers

[May 14, 2024]  (Reuters) - A Missouri man pleaded guilty on Monday to crashing a rented truck into metal barriers surrounding the White House in May 2023, admitting that he had been "fueled by the ideology of Nazi Germany" and hoped to overthrow the U.S. government.

The White House is pictured from the West Wing Driveway in Washington, U.S., February 10, 2022. REUTERS/Tom Brenner/File Photo

Sai Varshith Kandula, 20, and a citizen of India, pleaded guilty to a single count of damaging federal property. He faces up to 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in August.

As part of an agreement with U.S. Department of Justice prosecutors, Kandula admitted to investigators that it was his intent 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."

Kandula, who was carrying a Nazi flag at the time of his arrest, also admitted to investigators that he would have "arranged for the killing of the U.S. president and others if necessary to achieve his objective."

Kandula was diagnosed with schizophrenia following his arrest, according to court documents. As a citizen of India, he faces deportation following his release from prison.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Leslie Adler)

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