Indian-Origin Man Sentenced to 8 Years for White House Attack Plot
Sai Varisht Kundola, an Indian-origin man who rammed a truck into security barriers near the White House, has been sentenced to eight years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
The attack was part of a failed attempt to overthrow the U.S. government and replace it with a Nazi-inspired dictatorship, as revealed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Prosecutors disclosed that Kundola had been planning the attack for weeks, driven by a deep fascination with Nazi ideology. His goal was to “eliminate the democratic process” and replace the U.S. government with an authoritarian regime.
Court documents further revealed that Kundola had attempted to secure vehicles and armed guards before finally renting a truck in Washington, D.C.
On May 22, 2023, Kundola drove the truck into White House security barriers surrounding President’s Park. After briefly reversing, he tried to breach the barriers again, alarming pedestrians. The truck caught fire, and Kundola was seen waving a Nazi swastika flag before being arrested by U.S. Park Police and Secret Service officers.
During the investigation, Kundola admitted to deliberately damaging U.S. government property and expressed that he would have been willing to harm President Biden or other officials to fulfill his goal.
Kundola, who was born in Chandernagore, India, and is a legal permanent resident of the U.S., pleaded guilty to charges of property damage.
His defense attorney, Scott Rosenblum, claimed Kundola was suffering from schizophrenia and delusional beliefs, including the idea that a “reptilian race” controlled the U.S. government.
Despite these claims, prosecutors pushed for the eight-year prison sentence, citing the serious national security risks posed by Kundola’s actions. Along with his prison sentence, Judge Dabney Friedrich also ordered Kundola to pay nearly $57,000 in restitution.
