A Nazi swastika flag was found after a rented truck crashed into security barriers adjacent to White House grounds in Washington DC after which the driver was detained. The Nazi swastika flag was found by the investigators which apparently came from inside the truck, reported Reuters quoting a witness as saying. The driver was deemed safe by District of Columbia Police who said there were no injuries or ongoing danger.
“Preliminary investigation reveals the driver may have intentionally struck the security barriers at Lafayette Square,” Anthony Guglielmi, the chief of communications for the Secret Service, said on Twitter.
Guglielmi said that US park police would file charges with investigative support from the Secret Service, the report added.
As per the report, WUSA television showed video of a box-type U-Haul truck stopped alongside a row of steel bollards, with uniformed law-enforcement officers and a dog approaching the vehicle. A remote-controlled robot pried open the truck’s rear door, revealing a trolley but no other obvious cargo.
Another witness, Chris Zaboji told Reuters that he had just finished jogging on the National Mall and was walking home when he heard a loud crash.
“I looked back and saw that the U-Haul van had rammed into the barricade. I backed away behind a guy on a golf cart and took the video on my phone. After I saw it rammed again. I didn’t want to be anywhere near the truck and left,” Zaboji said.
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Nobody from the White House or Secret Service was injured in the incident, said Guglielmi.
The exact location of President Joe Biden at the time of the incident was unclear. He met the speaker of the US House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, at the White House earlier on Monday evening.
A spokesperson for the Washington fire department said a call came in at 9.40pm (1.40am GMT) for what was described as a suspicious package investigation, the report added.