White House U-Haul crash suspect Sai Kandula used Nazi term in coup speech

August 2024 · 3 minute read

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The Missouri man accused of ramming White House security barriers in an attempt to “kill the president” and “seize power” wrote a “coup” speech which ended with “Sieg hail”— a misspelled version of the Nazi term “sieg heil,” or “hail victory.”

Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, was arrested after emerging from a rented U-Haul truck without a weapon, waving a Nazi flag following the crash last Monday.  

Inside the truck police recovered Kandula’s “green book” which included writings “about harming family members and other individuals” and his speech for when he had claimed power, which was released by the government Tuesday.

It stated in part: “My fellow citizens of United States … This takeover of this nation by our movement … will not only extend within our nation but to the rest of the world, as you will see pretty soon.”

Surveillance images provided by prosecutors showed White House U-Haul ramming suspect Sai Varshith Kandula on May 22, 2023. USADC
Sai Varshith Kandula in an undated photo.
Kandula seen waving the flag in surveillance images on May 22, 2023. USADC

He then wrote that the country will no longer be a democracy, adding: “There shall be consequence if civil unrest happens. To make it clear Any opposition will be met with [the] death penalty.

“We will rebuild this world, and put a new system in place once the objective has been achieved.”

Kandula, from suburban Chesterfield, Missouri, appears to have acted alone. He flew cross-country on May 22, rented a U-Haul truck and drove straight to the White House.

A Secret Service officer who interviewed him later said Kandula told him he’d planned his mission over the course of six months, and would “kill the President if that’s what I have to do,” to achieve his goal.

The Secret Service and other law enforcement agencies investigate a rented box truck that crashed into security barriers at Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington on May 22, 2023. REUTERS
Kandula said “we will rebuild this world.” USADC
A Nazi flag and other objects recovered from a rented box truck are pictured on the ground after a truck crashed into security barriers at Lafayette Park across from the White House in Washington on May 23, 2023. REUTERS

Kandula allegedly also praised Nazis for their “great history” and their “authoritarian nature, Eugenics, and their one world order,” according to an arrest warrant.

“When asked if he looks up to any leaders,” the document states, “Kandula answered ‘Hitler, because he was a strong leader.’”

An initial slew of charges have been reduced to a single count of depredation of property of the United States in excess of $1,000. He will also undergo a mental health evaluation.

Kandula appears to have acted alone in the incident. USADC
Noe one was hurt in the crash. USADC

No one was injured in the crash and no explosives were found inside the vehicle.

Surveillance images provided by prosecutors showed the U-Haul nearly striking multiple bystanders as it hopped the curb.

A shaggy-haired Kandula can then be seen exiting the vehicle wearing a blue shirt and shorts, then standing at the rear of the truck holding the Nazi flag in his right hand.

Kandula was scheduled to appear in a Washington, DC federal court Tuesday, but a request to delay the detainment hearing, citing the need for more time, was granted.

He will appear back in court on June 9 and be held in jail until that time, after prosecutors argued his actions had shown “a calculated terroristic intent.”

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