An Indian-origin man who rammed a truck into the White House in the United States has been sentenced to 8 years in prison, and will remain under police supervision for 3 years after completing his sentence.
According to a global news agency, the US Department of Justice said that the aim of the attack was to overthrow the elected US government and create a dictatorship with Nazi ideology, which was foiled.
The court was told that the Indian national had been preparing for the attack for several weeks. He made several attempts to gain access to vehicles or armed security guards.
In particular, on April 22, 2023, he requested 25 armed guards and an armored convoy from a security company based in Virginia.
On May 4, 2023, he also contacted several other companies in an attempt to rent a large commercial tractor-trailer truck, dump truck, or other large truck.
After all these failed, the perpetrator arrived in Washington, D.C., on the afternoon of May 22, 2023, from St. Louis, Missouri, via a commercial flight.
According to court documents, he flew to Dulles International Airport from another airport on a one-way airline ticket and rented a truck.
He later reached the intersection of Northwest and crashed into the barriers protecting the White House and President Park and onto the sidewalk.
A stampede broke out among passersby, during which the Indian terrorist reversed the truck and drove back towards the barriers and tried to blow them up and enter.
However, the truck caught fire and the Indian citizen got out and waved a flag with a Nazi swastika in the middle.
The Indian man was taken into custody by U.S. Park Police and U.S. Secret Service officers present there.
Indian national Sai Varshit Kandola carried out the attack on May 13, 2024, and pleaded guilty in court to intentionally damaging or destroying American property.
The Indian national admitted to investigators that he would have killed the US president and others if necessary to achieve his goal.
The man was born in the Indian city of Chandigarh and was a legal permanent resident of the United States with a green card.