Police arrest driver
Truck rams barrier at White House
05/23/2023, 11:17 am
In the politically heated situation in the USA, such news is sure to stir things up: a truck driver is trying to break through a barrier near the White House. He is unsuccessful and is arrested. However, a political symbol in the vehicle causes concern.
In Washington, a pickup truck rammed a security barrier near the White House. The police arrested the driver, the US secret service said on Tuesday night. Investigations into the cause and course of the incident were ongoing.
According to a Reuters photographer, investigators found a swastika flag that appeared to be in the vehicle. An eyewitness reported seeing the truck hit the barriers twice. “Preliminary investigations indicate that the driver may have deliberately driven into the safety barriers at Lafayette Square,” intelligence spokesman Anthony Guglielmi tweeted. According to Guglielmi, no Secret Service or White House employees were injured. The police examined the truck. There is no danger from him. As a precaution, some roads and footpaths have been closed.
The incident happened in Lafayette Square, a park adjacent to the White House. The nearby Hay Adams Hotel had been evacuated, the Washington Post reported, citing a hotel representative. The TV station WUSA showed a kind of moving truck that had come to a stop at a row of steel bollards. Live footage showed security forces and a sniffer dog approaching the vehicle. The tailgate of the truck was opened with a remote-controlled robot. Inside was a hand truck, but apparently no other cargo.