WASHINGTON – The man accused earlier this week of ramming into barriers near White House with a UHaul truck is not a U.S. Citizen or lawful permanent resident.
Sai Varshith Kandula (19), a teenager from the suburbs of St. Louis, donned an orange jumpsuit issued by the jail in his courtroom appearance after prosecutors asked for pre-trial custody.
Kandula’s nationality was not mentioned at court, but the government revealed that he is neither a citizen nor a lawful permanent residence.
A college student, who had been on the same track team as Kandula in high school, told NBC News Tuesday that both are members of Chesterfield’s large Indian American community.
Kandula confirmed his identity and understood proceedings by answering routine questions of Magistrate Judge Robin Meriweather.
Diane Shrewsbury requested that Kandula be given a new set of glasses. She told Judge Meriweather her client’s glasses had been stolen during his arrest, and he was experiencing difficulty seeing.
Judge Meriweather told me she would take care of this issue.
Kandula has been ordered to be held without bail at least until his next court appearance on Tuesday afternoon.
Shrewsbury said to reporters that she was not in a position to comment about the case after meeting Kandula just minutes earlier.
Officials said that the young man, who lives in suburban St. Louis, told authorities that he admires Nazis. He also stated he hoped to “seize control” after his U-Haul accident.
Kandula was accused of renting a UHaul truck from Dulles International Airport, before crashing into a wall on the northside of the White House around 9:35 pm. ET on Monday.
Bystander captured video of the U-Haul driver appearing to reverse the 26-foot-long truck before jumping the curb, and then crashing into the barriers on the sidewalk.
According to a criminal charge filed against him, Kandula spoke of Nazis with fondness in interviews conducted by law enforcement after the incident.
The court document revealed that Kandula had allegedly stated that he admired the Nazis for their “authoritarian nature and Eugenics” as well as the one-world order.
The administration has refused to confirm whether President Joe Biden knew about the crash while it was happening.
The White House confirmed that he was briefed by Secret Service and Park Police on Tuesday morning about the incident.
Daniel Barnes reported on the news from Washington D.C., and David K. Li reported from New York City.
