Deliberate Truck Crash into White House Exterior Wall?..."Driver Immediately Detained"

On the 22nd (local time), a truck crashed into a security barrier at Lafayette Square near the White House in Washington DC, USA.

On the 22nd (local time), a truck collided with a security barrier near Lafayette Square close to the White House, prompting authorities to launch an investigation.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

There were no casualties from the collision. However, U.S. authorities have not ruled out the possibility that the truck driver deliberately rammed the security barrier and have launched an investigation. According to foreign media, around 10 p.m. that day, a truck crashed into a security barrier at the northern point of Lafayette Square, just a two-minute walk from the White House. Local media, citing witness statements, reported that the truck driver rammed the security barrier again shortly after the initial collision. The identity of the driver has not been disclosed.

Immediately after the incident, some nearby roads and pedestrian pathways were closed, and evacuation took place at the nearby Adams Hotel. Anthony Guglielmi, a spokesperson for the U.S. Secret Service, stated on Twitter, "No Secret Service or White House personnel were injured, and the cause and manner of the collision are still under investigation."

Spokesperson Guglielmi said, "The driver may have intentionally rammed the security barrier." The driver was immediately detained, and the police, with investigative support from the Secret Service, plan to investigate the specific charges against the driver. Guglielmi explained that no dangerous items were found during the search of the truck.

However, investigators reportedly found a Nazi flag inside the truck at the time. U.S. security authorities have recently strengthened protective measures to prevent incidents such as White House intrusions. Last year, the Secret Service doubled the height of the fence around the White House to 13 feet (about 4 meters). In addition to the White House, there have been more than two incidents in the past two years where vehicles rammed nearby barricades at the U.S. Capitol.

In April 2021, a vehicle struck two Capitol police officers, killing one of them, and in August of the same year, a vehicle crashed into barricades installed near the Capitol.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.