Considered Deliberately And Detained By Secret Service, The Driver Who Hits Security Barriers Near The White House Was Charged With Threatening The President

White House in Washington DC, United States. (Wikimedia Commons/Matt H. Wade)

JAKARTA - A man from Missouri, United States who drove a rented box truck into a security barrier near the White House, has been charged with threatening President Joe Biden, after what authorities believe was a deliberate accident.

The truck is said to have hit a barrier in Lafayette Square, a public area one block from the White House compound, on Monday evening, reported by Reuters, May 24.

A Reuters witness saw investigators pull a Nazi swastika flag from inside the truck. The driver, identified as Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, from Chesterfield, Missouri, was detained by the Secret Service.

Kandula faces a number of charges, including threatening to kill, kidnap, or injure the president, vice president, or members of their family, U.S Park Police said in a statement.

No weapons were found in the truck, a U.S Park Police spokesperson continued. Although there were no injuries, authorities have said nothing about what could have been behind the crash.

Our investigation into last night's incident at Lafayette Square continues. Thank you to our partners at @FBIStLouis and on the state and local level who continue to support our pursuit of facts and evidence. pic.twitter.com/VkIbqAW6Ya

— Anthony Guglielmi (@SecretSvcSpox) May 23, 2023

But ABC News, citing an unnamed law enforcement source, reported Kandula told investigators he wanted to take over the government and kill the president.

Authorities are examining the suspect's mental health, the television network reported. Reuters could not immediately reach representatives for the U.S Park Police or Secret Service for comment on the report.

President Joe Biden's exact location at the time remained unclear. It is known, he met with the Speaker of the US House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy at the White House on Monday night. However, an earlier tweet from Secret Service Communications Chief Anthony Guglielmi said no one from the White House or Secret Service was injured.

By Tuesday morning, there was little sign of the incident other than black skid marks on the pavement, a few National Park rangers surveying the scene and a few remaining TV crews.

The accident occurred across the street from the Hay-Adams Hotel and St John's Episcopal Church, two historic sites in Washington DC.

It is known, for decades, Lafayette Square has been a famous venue for political protests and free speech events. The venue was closed in May 2020 with a guardrail put up after the Black Lives Matter protests. The fence has been removed, but the barrier blocking traffic from the side of the road remains.

Meanwhile, security around the White House and other federal buildings has continued to increase following a series of break-ins and other incidents, including the January 6, 2021 riot on Capitol Hill, Washington DC.