Driver of U-Haul that rammed White House gate is not a U.S. citizen, prosecutors say – By Daniel Barnes and David K. Li (NBC News) / May 24, 2023
Sai Varshith Kandula, 19, from suburban St. Louis, made his first court appearance after allegedly crashing into the barrier, then telling officials he admires Nazis and wanted to “seize power.”
WASHINGTON — The man accused of ramming a U-Haul truck into barriers near the White House earlier this week isn’t a U.S. citizen, authorities said Wednesday.
Sai Varshith Kandula, a 19-year-old from suburban St. Louis, wore an orange jail-issued jumpsuit in his brief courtroom appearance — his first since the Monday incident — when prosecutors requested pre-trial detention.
A government prosecutor told the court that Kandula is not a citizen or lawful permanent resident.
But later on Wednesday, a Department of Justice official clarified the open-court remarks and said Kandula does hold a green card for lawful, permanent U.S. residency.
