A rental truck reportedly drove into a fence near the White House in Washington Monday night and its driver was immediately arrested by police.
Just before 10 p.m., the U-Haul rental truck crashed into barriers on the north side of Lafayette Square, a block from the White House, an intelligence official was quoted by the New York Post as saying.
🚨#BREAKING: A U-Haul truck rams security barriers in front of the White House
📌#Washington I #DC
Several law enforcement agencies and the Secret Service and Bomb Squad are currently at the scene after a U-Haul truck crashed near the airport and rammed into security barriers. pic.twitter.com/QNO28VJMEx
– RAWSALERTS (@rawsalerts) May 23, 2023
According to police authorities, no one was injured in the attack, suggesting a deliberate gesture by the suspect, who could face charges, according to the New York tabloid.
Searching the back of the truck, officers appeared to uncover a Nazi flag and other items, but local police did not provide any further information about the find.
The incident led to the evacuation of at least one hotel, the Hay Adams, as the area around the crime scene was closed to car and pedestrian traffic to allow investigators to do their job, sources said.